


the day when the stars came falling

by ohallows



Category: Rusty Quill Gaming (Podcast)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angst with a Happy Ending, Bodyswap, Canon Asexual Character, Canon-Typical Violence, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Modern Era, SUPER TEMPORARY, based on ‘your name’, the major character death is temporary
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-21
Updated: 2019-09-07
Packaged: 2020-07-10 00:43:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 15
Words: 46,969
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19897069
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ohallows/pseuds/ohallows
Summary: Sometimes, when he wakes up, he finds himself crying for no reason. Remnants of a dream he can barely even remember play through his mind, flashes and glimpses that don’t make any sense. But the feeling is always there - something is missing. Something, or someone, he is never sure which, but there’s a gaping emptiness in his life, something that he’d had before but that’s gone now.(A Your Name AU)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> WOOF okay starting a new au this is just the prologue we’ll actually get into it next chapter i have no consistent update schedule please bear with me. also honestly, i am physically unable to write angst without a happy ending, so this will end happy and they will be together. um. THE MAJOR CHARACTER DEATH IS TEMPORARY PLEASE DONT WORRY
> 
> uh i highly recommend listening to the actual soundtrack while reading bc it’s really good

_ Sometimes, when he wakes up, he finds himself crying for no reason. Remnants of a dream he can barely even remember play through his mind, flashes and glimpses that don’t make any sense. But the feeling is always there - something is missing. Something, or someone, he is never sure which, but there’s a gaping emptiness in his life, something that he’d had before but that’s gone now.  _

_ There’s a bracelet around his wrist, a red ribbon wrapped multiple times over with a small silver dolphin pendant that glints in the sun. He doesn’t remember where he got it, but something about it feels like a lucky charm.  _

Fate is a fickle thing, sometimes. People are tied together across time, across space, and no one can discern the reason why. Soulmates exist all the time with no one being the wiser, and maybe a simple brush of hands feels like something more and maybe it doesn’t, but most people keep walking, not thinking anything else of it. It’s hard for us, you know. Hard to believe that something is bringing two people together, something stronger than attraction, something binding people together over more than a simple crush, something closer to love. 

Even if the two have never met. 

It goes without saying that dreams aren’t always just dreams. Dreams can be memories, too, reflections of a life you lived before, even when the memories are hazy and hard to find again. But you shouldn’t discount your dreams; you never know what they’re going to bring you to, whether that be a feeling or a person or an experience. And dreams fade, as you grow older. As children, as teenagers, our capacity for creativity is never-ending, our ability to believe wider than it will ever be. 

It’s your job to not let that fade - to keep having dreams, to keep seeking that special feeling that your dreams bring to you. 

Dreams and fate… they’re intertwined, you know. Sometimes, a dream is just a dream, and sometimes a dream is more. It’s important to pay attention to these sorts of dreams, because you have no idea where it will bring you. 

Do you ever wake up after a dream and feel lost? As though there should be something there that isn’t? It’s a feeling that lingers in most of us, the idea that a dream was actually real, that you  _ had _ something, and then when you wake up and your hands are empty and there’s… there’s nothing there, when  _ something _ should be there, and you know it should be. Maybe the dream was a memory, or maybe it just felt real enough to you that the sense of loss stretches, makes your chest feel pale and concave.

Do you ever wake up with tears on your face and can’t remember why? Maybe the dream is showing you something you forgot, something that was  _ so _ important to you once, enough that your heart is screaming for you to remember, because you were in love, or maybe it was just that this… this  _ thing _ or this  _ person  _ was so important to you, and you can’t remember. 

It’s sad, isn’t it? Well, it’s only sad if you can’t find it. And sometimes, it stretches off across time and space, and looking for it is harder than you want it to be. So you give up, and you continue waking up with tears on your face, and ignoring the emptiness in your chest, and move on with your day and think that one day, someday, you’ll forget altogether and the sense of loss will go away too.

Or maybe you don’t. Maybe you desperately cling to every scrap you get, every small, barely interconnected memory, until you can  _ remember  _ and you go looking for it, wanting to seek it out because it  _ was _ something or someone you loved, and you deserve a happy ending too. 

Which kind of story is this?

_ Hamid, don’t you remember? My name is -  _


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> gonna be longer, had to post it now. oh well! enjoy some confusing content!

The light streams in through the windows, casting shadows across the room as Zolf stirs in his sleep, yawning widely. His face scrunches up as he opens his eyes, blinking in the soft golden light. His mind feels hazy, almost like he’s chasing a distant dream, but it slips away from him before he can really remember it. There was something about… he can’t recall, but something about a city? Being in university? Which is just insane anyway, considering that Zolf had never even thought about going to university, before or after his father - well. He doesn’t need to think about it. 

It was just a dream, after all. 

He pushes himself up and glares at the clock on the end table. Even though it goes off at the same time every morning, he hates waking up at 6am just to get to the mines right when the sun comes up. The bed creaks as he leans over the edge, feeling around blindly to find his prosthetic from wherever he’d dropped it last night, before fitting it around his left leg. He stretches, rolling his shoulders, before standing. 

“Seems like you’re finally back to normal.” He hears Feryn say, and looks over at the doorway. His older brother is standing there with an eyebrow raised. “You woke me up by screaming yesterday, thanks for that, and then you were acting super weird.”

Zolf squints over at him. He doesn’t even  _ remember _ yesterday. “Uh… really?” 

“Yeah, it was strange. Haven’t had a night terror in a while, hmm? And then it’s like you forgot how to do your job. Weird.”

“Sorry?” Zolf tries, but Feryn waves the apology away. 

“We all have our off-days,” he says. “Hurry up, I’ve got breakfast cooking and we’ve got to leave soon.”

—

“Oi! Zolf!” He hears Sasha calling his name from down the road and turns back, catching her and Brock wildly waving at him. Or, Brock waving wildly, while Sasha puts one hand up quickly before it shoots back down. 

Feryn laughs. “Alright Sasha? Brock?” 

“Hey, Feryn,” Sasha says as he ruffles Brock’s hair. 

Zolf coughs and nods at Feryn, head tilting up the road in the universal signal for ‘can you please keep going’. Feryn holds up his hands and acquiesces as Zolf hangs back with Sasha and Brock. 

“What was up with you yesterday, mate?” Brock asks the moment Feryn is probably out of earshot. “You were all over the place, had no clue where your job was, what your name was?”

“Yeah, it’s like you didn’t know who you were,” Sasha adds.

“Really? Feryn just said I was acting weird…” Zolf mutters, casting a look over at his brother’s back. 

“Yeah, sure, if ‘weird’ means having no idea where we are and no clue where the mine is -“

“And also no clue who  _ we _ were, which is the most offensive,” Brock pipes up, glaring at Zolf. 

“Ah, sorry about that, I dunno what happened. Seems to be fine now though, yeah?”

Sasha doesn’t look convinced, but Brock looks happy enough. “Fine. We’ve gotta get to Dad’s anyway,” he says. 

Slowly, they head up the road after Feryn, chatting about the upcoming festival and the comet that should be visible over the town on the same night. 

There’s a crowd up ahead, and Zolf, Sasha, and Brock catch up with Feryn, who’s watching the crowd chant with a dark look on his face. As they get closer, it becomes clear, and Zolf joins his brother in staring daggers at the man in the center of the group.

Hirald Smith, mayor of Countisbury and Zolf and Feryn’s estranged father, catches them looking at him and gives a subtle shake of his head. Zolf opens his mouth to say something, but Feryn’s hand on his shoulder stops him. 

“He’s not worth it,” Feryn says under his breath. Zolf shrugs off his hand and keeps walking, ignoring the whispered comments from the crowd as they all pass by. 

Brock peels off after that, heading down the road to his adoptive father’s antique shop. Sasha takes a step to follow him, but turns back to Zolf and tugs on his shirtsleeve to get him to stop walking.

“You sure you’re alright?” she says when he turns around. “Only, look, you were actin’ real weird yesterday, proper strange, and now everything just seems like you’re back to normal?” 

Zolf shrugs. “Feryn said the same thing, uh, not really sure what happened. I don’t remember any of it, but. Sorry, I suppose?”

Sasha eyes him up. “Alright…” she says, and then she’s off after Brock, giving him one more confused look before he turns around and hurries to catch up with Feryn.

—

The sounds of children running around, of cars heading down the street, all vanish as the elevator descends into the mine, replaced with a vast emptiness broken only by the occasional echo of steel on rock. 

“Please tell me you remember how to do your job today,” Feryn begs, clapping Zolf on the shoulder. “Or do I need to watch out for you even more so that usual?”

The people in the elevator around him laugh, and Zolf feels his face flush. 

“Shut up,” he mutters to Feryn, folding his arms and frowning steadily at the floor. He doesn’t wait for Feryn as the doors open, stalking over to his locker instead.

Zolf opens the locker and squints at the sheet of paper he sees there, stark white against all of the dusty, coal-covered tools and clothes. He glances around and pulls it out, unfolding it gently. It’s definitely not from anyone he knows - the handwriting is completely unfamiliar, and the only three people who would even leave him a note are Feryn, Sasha, and Brock, and they’d all just tell him to his face anyway. 

And the message is… not something any of them would have left him. 

_ ‘Who are you?’  _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> next updates will be longer probably


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry short chapter i’m struggling to write this bit :( 
> 
> edit 8/4: added a bit to the end of this chapter because i kind of hate the dialogue of all of this so we’re gonna chuck it all in here and then next chapter is gonna be Way Better and we can finally get into the PLOT!

He doesn’t quite forget about the note throughout the day. It’s stuck in the back of his mind as he works, and he glances around to see if anyone is giving him weird looks. But it couldn’t be anyone in the mine; no one new has been hired in months, and everyone there has known Zolf since he was a kid, either through his father or Feryn. It didn’t make any sense for someone to leave him the note. 

It goes in his pocket before they leave, and he unfurls it again as they head out of the mine shaft, glancing down at the three hastily scribbled words on the now-sooty sheet of paper. 

_Who are you?_

See, here’s the weird thing: if Zolf didn’t know any better, he would say that it was in his handwriting. It’s not exact, of course, but it looks messy enough to be his, and the ‘y’ is curled the same way. But he wouldn’t be leaving notes to himself, and even if he doesn’t totally remember the day before he knows he probably wasn’t writing himself cryptic notes. 

He slips the note back into his pocket when he sees Feryn across the room, slipping his tools back into his locker and heading over to where his brother is standing.

“Good to see you’re more on top of it. Honestly, it was like you’d never touched an axe yesterday.”

Zolf laughs weakly and swings his bag over his shoulder. 

“Ready to go?” he asks, and Feryn nods.

They head off together and Zolf tries not to think about the note, about who could have left it, the fact that he apparently wasn’t himself yesterday and that he only has hazy memories of the day before. But it’s burning a hole through his pocket and he can’t stop wondering just what the hell it means.

_Who are you?_

_—_

He and Feryn have a ritual. Once a week, they head off to sit on the nearby ridge as the sun sets, passing a drink between them as they watch the sun go down. They’ve been doing it ever since Hirald had left Feryn to take care of Zolf, although the drinking had become more of a recent indulgence. 

They’re quiet on the walk over, Feryn taking a few swigs from his flask of whiskey before handing it over to Zolf. 

The whiskey is smooth, going down, but Zolf is used to it enough that he doesn’t react. 

A faint orange light has settled over the little town of Countisbury by the time they get up to their favorite spot. Feryn drops down onto the ridge and leans back against the edge, patting the spot next to him. Zolf follows suit, as they sit back against the ridge as the sun slowly begins to pull away from the sky. 

“It’s golden hour, you know.” Feryn says, glancing down into the town below. “The time of day where the universe gets… fiddly. Strands unravel, times brush together.”

“Alright, you’re done,” Zolf laughs, grabbing the whiskey bottle out of his hands.

Feryn rolls his eyes. “I’m not even tipsy, Zolf, I’m just thinking about some stuff.”

“What do you mean?”

“It’s almost the autumn festival, we have to create the offerings for the shrine. Just… thinking about some things our grandmother said a few years ago.

“What brought this on?” Zolf asks, raising an eyebrow at him.

“Okay, look. The shrine to Ceridwen. Our family has been giving offerings to it for decades. Apparently it was a way to protect the town from invaders, famine, all that. Me and you used to go up with grandma and she’d do the complete rites in the center of the circle.” Feryn takes another drink of the whiskey and points off into the forest, roughly the correct direction of the shrine, Zolf thinks. “Asking for them to bless us every year in autumn, to guide us. You’d even participate sometimes, clapping along and she’d dance around with you in the circle.

“But then mum got sick, and dad wasn’t around as much, so we kind of just… stopped.”

“I… don’t remember ever doing that,” Zolf mutters.

“No, you probably wouldn’t,” Feryn says, leaning back against the rock. “Now, we just go up to the shrine and leave artifacts. But it used to be more. Our grandmother - she died when you were just a kid, maybe 5 - would always tell stories about how our family was touched by magic.”

“Magic isn’t  _ real _ , Feryn.”

He shrugs. “Maybe not. Grandma used to think so. Said that our dreams crossed into the waking world, that we wove stories into existence, and they all came together at golden hour. We were a favorite of the gods, once.”

“That’s ridiculous,” Zolf says, raising an eyebrow at Feryn. He took the last sip of the whiskey and winced as it burned. 

Feryn doesn’t respond immediately, looking up at the sky with an unreadable look on his face. “Yeah,” he eventually said, “you’re probably right. But wouldn’t that be fun?”

—

Zolf sits in the windowsill of his room, staring out into the stars. The note is unfolded on his dresser, held down by a small rock he’d found as a kid and never gotten rid of.

_ Who are you? _

There’s a soft knock on his door before Feryn opens it, coming in and sitting on the edge of Zolf’s bed. 

“You’ve been quiet since we got back, and seemed tense. You okay?”

“It’s nothing,” Zolf says. And it is, really, except for the weird note he’d found, and Feryn being weirdly nostalgic over at the ridge, even though he gets like this around every festival.

“It’s not nothing, there’s obviously something on your mind. You know it helps to talk about these things instead of just letting them fester.”

“I guess. I don’t know, maybe it’s just like what you were talking about, with the festival coming up, but. I… you were talking about time, and it got me thinking, I just,” Zolf lets out a heavy sigh and rubs a hand over his face. “I don’t want to be a miner my whole  _ life,  _ Feryn, not like you do. I want to do something… I don’t know, I want to be in a city. Not this… town.”

Feryn is quiet for a moment, and Zolf turns to look at him. 

“How long have you been thinking about this?” he asks, and Zolf shrugs helplessly.

“I don’t know, a while? It’s always kind of been in the back of my mind, but then the whole thing with Dad and then we needed more money and I graduated and didn’t even think about anything else but going into the mines.”

“I’m sorry you felt that way, I should’ve given you the chance to get out if you wanted,” Feryn says.

“S’not your fault,” Zolf mutters. Feryn claps a hand on his shoulder and Zolf locks eyes with him.

“It’ll work out, Zolf.”

“Yeah. Maybe,” Zolf says. Feryn gives him a sympathetic smile. 

“Zolf, you’re 28. You’re not dying anytime soon, and there’s still hope of you going to the city, alright?” He pats him on the shoulder. “Why you want to leave your favorite older brother all alone in this small town defeats me, but I’ll somehow learn to soldier on.”

Zolf shoves at his arm but can’t keep the smile off of his face. “You’re my only brother, Feryn.”

Feryn swings his arms wide and grabs Zolf in a tight hug. “Then I win by default.” Zolf tries to scramble out of the hug and it turns into a mini wrestling match as Feryn just squeezes tighter and Zolf pushes ineffectually at his grip. 

“Feryn -“

“Nope!”

“Let go - gods-“

“My little brother is  _ sad _ -“

“I’m  _ fine, Feryn!”  _

“No let me hug you -“

“Feryn!”

“No -“

“Gods!” Zolf finally scrambles out of his grip and stumbles off of the bed, overbalancing when he realizes he’s already taken his prosthetic off. Feryn’s hand reaches out to grab him, helping him keep from toppling over.

“...Thanks,” Zolf says, only slightly begrudging. Feryn lets him fall back onto the bed and stands up himself. 

“Get some sleep, Zolf,” Feryn says, ruffling his hair. Zolf pushes his hand away with a scowl. “We’ve got an early day tomorrow.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> more coming up soon!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zolf wakes up in an unfamiliar room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi kids check chapter 3 bc i updated it
> 
> tw: slight sexual harassment (zolf shuts it down p quickly, but just wanted to warn y’all!

The first thing Zolf realizes when he wakes up the next morning is that there’s no alarm going off. He scrambles up and reaches blindly to the side of his bed, grappling around for the prosthetic. “Shit, shit,  _ shit _ ,” he mutters. 

He can’t find the prosthetic anywhere, and glances around the room to see where he tossed it last night. 

“What the…” he whispers.

This isn’t his room. For starters, it’s way too big, and - is that a walk-in closet? - much too opulent to even  _ exist _ in Countisbury. And, he realizes as he looks down, he has both his legs. He slowly swivels on the bed and stands, glancing down. 

“This is… a weird dream,” he mutters, running a hand through his hair. It feels softer than his, and significantly shorter. He turns and sees a mirror out of the corner of his eye and stumbles over, still getting used to not having to adjust for his prosthetic. 

He stands in front of the mirror and his jaw drops. Staring back at him is a handsome Egyptian man, probably a few inches shorter than Zolf himself. He reaches a hand out and the reflection in the mirror does the same. Zolf jumps back, hand stretching up to touch his face. It’s more angular than his is, skin softer without even a hint of a beard. 

“What the hell?” he says, tilting his head left and right. 

“Hamid! Mate, we’re going to be late, and you know how Liliana is if we don’t beat her there. We gotta go -“ the door to the room slides open and Zolf whips his head around to look at the unfamiliar face poking his head around the frame. “You’re not even  _ dressed?  _ Hamid, we have class in twenty, if you’re not out in the kitchen in ten I’m leaving without you.” 

The door slams shut and Zolf stands there in silence,  _ incredibly  _ confused.

“What the hell does Hamid mean?” he says to the open air.

Somehow, he struggles his way through the walk-in closet, glances at the truly  _ incomprehensible _ clothing, shrugs his way into some trousers with way too many buttons and a button-down shirt that doesn’t really make sense but seems to match in the mirror, does a passable job at fixing his hair, gives a confused look at the many bottles of some sort of product on the counter and then stumbles out of the room, holding his shoes in his hand.

Walking is… different. He doesn’t have to mentally adjust for the prosthetic anymore, which had become so natural that walking now feels slightly awkward and forced. He makes his way down the hallway and into a kitchen that’s easily double the size of his and Feryn’s, and spots the man who had opened the door earlier.

“Dressing down today, Hamid?” The strange man who  _ definitely  _ knows who Zolf is supposed to be says with a smirk, eyeing him up and down. “What brought this on?” 

“Uh…” Zolf starts, but he’s cut off by the sound of a phone beeping. He glances over at the man who gives him a raised eyebrow in return. The phone beeps again and Zolf feels it vibrate against his leg this time. He grabs the phone and looks at the lock screen with badly-disguised panic until it asks for a fingerprint. Zolf presses his thumb down and hopes it will work, mentally cheering when the phone unlocks and he can see the texts on the screen.

_ ‘Are you and Gideon on the way?’  _ The first text message reads, followed by  _ ‘I’ll be there in ten minutes. Don’t make me wait.’ _

Well, that at least clears up one mystery. The guy giving Zolf an expectant look must be Gideon, and Zolf can work with that. 

“We should - we should get going?” Zolf says, and it comes out as a question despite how hard he tries to sound certain. 

Gideon shoots him a weird look. “You sound different today.”

“Ah - really?” Zolf says, hoping his panicked expression comes across as more confused than anything else. “Must be. Losing my voice.”

Gideon just shrugs at that and heads toward the door, grabbing an apple from a fruit bowl on the table and rubbing it against a towel. “C’mon, you’re right. Let’s go. Can’t be late again.”

Oh, well. If it’s a dream, he might as well go along with it. Zolf follows Gideon as he leads the way out of the flat. He steps outside the building and stalls. This… this has to be a dream. There’s absolutely no way that Zolf would end up in a city, not after he’d  _ just _ talked to Feryn about it, but there’s no mistaking it. 

Tall buildings rise up around him as Zolf’s jaw drops open. It’s - well, it’s not exactly what he was expecting, it’s less gleaming and a bit more storied, more brick buildings that look like they’ve stood the test of time than immaculately conceived towers of glass and metal. But it’s beautiful, and Zolf stares out over the city even as people rush past him, giving him dirty looks as they step around him. 

“Hamid!” Gideon yells, and Zolf jumps. “Come on, we’ve gotta go! God.”

“Uh, sorry, right,” Zolf calls back, and follows Gideon through the crowd, apologizing to people as he stumbles along, trying not to lose sight of Gideon.

It’s a difficult journey to the campus, even though the flat isn’t far. Zolf struggles to push through the crowd, for one; it would have been a nightmare to try and get through this with his prosthetic, but the body he’s in is small and doesn’t seem to be built for shoving through crowds, so Zolf is stuck making liberal use of his elbows as he stumbles through, and then they’re out and standing in front of a large, open, iron-wrought gate. 

Gideon rolls his eyes as Zolf breathes heavily. “Jesus, Hamid, it’s like you’ve never walked through a crowd at all. What is  _ up _ with you today?”

Shaking his head, he ambles on through the gate and, after a beat, Zolf follows him. Hey carve a path through the campus, cutting across the quad and ducking through a building until Gideon swears and comes to an abrupt halt. “She’s going to know we’re late,” he hisses, glancing off to his right, where an attractive young woman sits, glaring at the two of them.

Ah, this must be Liliana, Zolf realizes, and she’s impatiently tapping her phone against her leg as she sits on a bench and glares at them. Her foot is bobbing in the air and, as they get closer, she stands up with her arms crossed. 

“Five. Minutes,” she says, raising an eyebrow at the two of them. “I  _ told _ Hamid -“

“Yeah, yeah, we know, we’re late.” Gideon cuts her off, waving it off with a hand in the air. “This one -“ he points at Hamid - “decided to have a bit of a lie-in, and is acting all… funny.”

Liliana turns to look at Zolf, then, concern shifting over her features. “Oh, are you alright, Hamid?” Her head tilts as she glances over at him, lips pulling into a confused frown. “Are you… not wearing any makeup?” 

Again, with the  _ bloody _ makeup, Zolf swears - whatever. He pastes on what he hopes is a convincing smile, instead of going on a tirade. “Not today, no, uh. The alarm? Didn’t go off in time. Couldn’t…” he trails off, racking his brain for any sort of makeup terminology that would make sense, before settling on an easy, “didn’t have time.”

“Fine. Class it is,” she says, flipping her hair over her shoulder and striding away, leaving Gideon and Zolf to follow along behind her.

—

University is…not confusing, necessarily, but definitely not what Zolf had expected. The maths classes are a nightmare, and his brain hurts within five minutes of listening to the teacher explain some nebulous concept. He enjoys the lit classes more than anything else, and is almost tempted to get into a spirited debate over the sexuality of early poets until he thinks of having to deal with speaking in front of the entire class and clams up. Thankfully, either Gideon or Liliana are in each of his classes, and Zolf’s able to simply follow one of them along to the next class instead of getting hopelessly lost. 

It’s funny, in a way that’s nearly sad. Zolf hadn’t had the chance or the resources to go to university; he’d immediately gone to the mines with Feryn and started helping to support the family. It hadn’t been much, but it was an honest living, and the less that he or his brother had to rely on their father for support, the better in their eyes. But, even just spending a day here has been incredible; Zolf wishes he could have maybe gotten the chance, and then immediately feels guilty when he thinks of Feryn, working as hard as he does to support them without relying on help from his father.

After one class where the teacher droned on and on about integrals and optimization and a whole lot of other topics that Zolf knew next to nothing about and tried to copy off of all of Gideon’s notes for, he simply gave up. It’s probably a dream, anyway, who cares if he’s missing a couple of pages of notes in the grand scheme of things? Maths was invented to confuse, and Zolf has a migraine. Thankfully, the seminar ends soon after that and Liliana loops their elbows together as they head outside, laughing. 

“Einstein was in a right state today, wasn’t he?” she says, laughing. “More out of it than normal.”

“Yeah, he was a bit barmy. Maybe got knocked on the head one too many times trying to prove he could teleport. What do you think, Hamid?” Gideon says, and it’s not until he repeats the name that Zolf starts, mentally kicking himself for not cottoning on sooner. “Are you alright? God, you’re as spacey as Einstein is. Don’t go all conspiracy theory on us next.”

“Uh,” Zolf starts, “yeah, he - he was acting a bit odd, you’re right. Maybe it’s stress?”

Gideon shrugs. “What’s that man got to be stressed about, he’s  _ tenured _ . Anyway. I’m starving - you two?” he says, and Zolf hasn’t really thought about it until now, but he feels absolutely ravenous. He realizes he hadn’t had time to eat this morning, nor a lunch break to grab a snack, and nods. It’s all weird, though; he would have thought you simply didn’t get hungry in dreams.

“We could go to that cute shop down the road,” Liliana says decisively, not leaving room for Zolf or Gideon to argue as she tugs them along. Zolf is all too happy to let her lead, considering he’s still half-convinced this is a dream and also he has no idea where to even  _ go _ . 

The shop Liliana mentioned is definitely cute, but it’s not as garish as Zolf had been expecting. It feels homey, with a large fireplace in the center of the room and couches neatly arranged around it. It’s light on the pinks and reds, and seems to have gone for a much more minimalist look. 

The menu is limited, as well, although that’s not exactly something Zolf is unused to, considering the rotating five dishes at their local (and only) restaurant back in Countisbury. Half of the names seem to be in some form of French, and Zolf ends up just pointing to one instead of trying to figure out what it says. The waitress takes his order with a smile and grabs all of their menus before heading back to put all of their orders in. 

Zolf sits there in a content silence as Gideon and Liliana gossip about people that he’s sure whoever this is - Hamid - knows, or maybe it’s some weird dream thing and his subconscious is pulling names he’s heard once or twice into the dream. It doesn’t take long before the waitress brings out their food, and Zolf can’t help but salivate at the delicious-looking tart. 

“Looking good, love,” a middle-aged man says from the table next to them, leaning on the surface and giving Liliana a once-over with his eyes. His gaze lingers on her chest and floats back up to her face, giving her a salacious smile.

Liliana looks deeply uncomfortable but doesn’t look at the man, biting her lip and focusing on her sandwich as her knuckles tighten on her fork.

“Excuse me, we’re trying to have lunch,” Zolf says, swiveling in his chair and giving the man a glare. The man holds up his hands and leans back, whispering something in his friend’s ear. They both laugh while the third man glares back at Zolf before shifting his gaze to Liliana and winking. Zolf feels his shoulders tense up, but at a hissed warning from Gideon, turns back to their table. 

He stabs at the pastry on his plate, glowering as they continue making lewd comments under their breaths. It’s clear they’re intentionally saying it  _ sotto voce _ from their laughter and how they keep giving Liliana loaded looks. 

“Just ignore it, Lili,” Gideon mutters, giving the men at the table one over from them a dirty look. “They’re dicks.”

Liliana frowns over at him but doesn’t respond, looking down at her food and moving it around on the plate slowly. The men at the table make another comment, perfectly pitched for them to hear it, and Zolf slams his hands down on the table as he stands up. 

“Excuse me,” he says, doing the best he can to pitch his voice down an octave and sound threatening. “Are you done?”

One of the men raises an eyebrow at him and shrugs, while the other two elbow each other and snicker. “Do we have a problem here?” 

“We’re going to if you don’t stop making comments about my friend.”

“Hamid!” Gideon hisses, tugging insistently at his shirtsleeve. “Sit  _ down _ .”

Zolf tugs his sleeve out of Gideon’s grasp and levels his best glare at the men. “Well?” 

“Maybe we do.” One of the men stands up and saunters over to Zolf, rolling his sleeves up. 

“Don’t want to make a scene, do you?” Zolf says, glancing around the café as everyone turns to look at them. The manager of the café, a burly man with his arms crossed, has a frown on his face as he looks at the two of them. Zolf slips his hands into his pockets and smiles up at the man, who flashes a disgusting shade of red as his fists tighten.

One of the other men at the table stands up and grabs the bloke standing in front of Zolf by the shoulder, pulling him back. “Ain’t worth it, mate,” he says, nodding his head toward the manager. The last man stands up and gives Zolf a rude gesture before all three of them head out of the café. 

The chatter slowly resumes throughout the room as Zolf sits down.

“That was  _ reckless _ , Hamid, what were you thinking?” Gideon says, reaching over to flick Zolf on the forehead. “We definitely couldn’t have taken those guys.”

Zolf opens his mouth to retort, because he  _ knew what he was doing, thanks,  _ when Liliana cuts him off with a gentle hand on his arm. “I think it was sweet,” she says, giving him a smile. Gideon stutters for a minute before crossing his arms with a huff, sulking as he leans back in his chair. 

—

They part ways as Liliana heads to her own apartment, promising to text Zolf - well, Hamid - and Gideon when she gets back. Zolf waves as she leaves, and then Gideon has an arm around his neck and is dragging him along down the road.

“What, playing hero today, are we, Hamid?” Gideon says, clapping Zolf on the cheek with the other hand. Zolf sputters and tries to push away from him until Gideon finally lets go. 

“I was just being a decent person,” Zolf says. “You - you heard how they were talking to her.”

“Well, yeah, but that always happens to Lili. Better to just ignore it than to give the creeps the attention they want.”

Zolf frowns over at Gideon. “But that means they’ll keep thinking it’s okay. I’m - listen, you don’t have to, I suppose, but I’ll keep bringing it up when I see it, Gideon.”

“When did you grow a spine?” Gideon laughs, wrapping an arm around Zolf’s shoulder which Zolf immediately shrugs out from. 

“I just wanted to do the right thing,” he tries, stuffing his hands in his pockets as they weave through the crowd, heading back toward the flat. 

“Sure. Because any other day, you wouldn’t have stood up to those creeps. You wanted to be the hero, you can admit it, it’s just us!”

“I really didn’t,” Zolf says, insistent. “They were just acting like dicks, yeah? Didn’t want them to be able to get away with it.”

“Sure,” Gideon says. “And acting like Liliana’s own personal white knight wasn’t a bonus.”

“Uh… no?” Zolf says, trying to sound more convincing than it actually is. It’s true, anyway; he doesn’t have any feelings for Liliana, whether or not she’s a dream projection, but he doesn’t know if Hamid, whoever he is,  _ does _ . 

“Fine, don’t tell me,” Gideon says, rolling his eyes and looking slightly offended. “I’m just your best friend. Whatever, let’s go.” 

Zolf doesn’t have a choice but to follow him as they head back through London, making their way to the flat. 

Gideon doesn’t talk for the rest of the walk, seemingly content to stew in silence as Zolf marvels at the buildings around him. There’s nothing like this even  _ near  _ Countisbury. Zolf hasn’t been more than a couple of miles outside his town in decades, and this is an experience he doesn’t want to miss. It’s fun, but challenging, trying to look at all the buildings while trying not to lose Gideon in the hustle and bustle of the street, but he does a decent job of it. 

They take the elevator up to the penthouse apartment, which is something that had escaped Zolf’s notice until this moment, and ride up silently. 

He bids goodnight to Gideon, who gives a muffled grunt in return as he sticks his head into the fridge, looking for any sort of food. Zolf takes this as his moment to disappear, walking down the hallway and hoping he remembers where - yes, this must be it.

He makes it into Hamid’s room and shuts the door behind him, leaning heavily against it as he slides down to the floor, running a hand over his face. 

It’s been… a day, that much is certain. He’s exhausted, and more than a little confused, but at least he’s  _ back  _ now, and he can sit alone in the room and figure out what the hell is going on. He remembers the note he had gotten yesterday and pulls out the man’s phone, tapping the diary app in the corner. It’s almost ridiculously organized, with an entry for each day over the past few months. He’s tempted to swipe through some, but hesitates. Even if it is a dream, it feels… wrong, somehow, to snoop through his things. Instead, he opens up a new note for today, writing down a quick message.

“My name is Zolf Smith. Who are you?”

It might be a dream, but just in case it’s not, maybe he’ll get some answers. He hesitates for a moment and adds “Has this happened to you?” before locking the phone and plugging it in next to the nightstand.

He doesn’t want to go to sleep, really. Because if he sleeps, he’ll wake up, and he’ll be back in Countisbury. But he can’t stave off the sandman forever. He stays up as long as he can, making a comfortable little nook as he sits next to the window and watches the cars drive down the narrow, twisting alleys, watching helicopters fly overhead, watching as the city never truly goes to sleep. 


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hamid wakes up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IS HIM! THE BOY! next chapter might be a while cause i’m still trying to figure out how to best transpose ‘movie montage’ in a fic SO

Hamid stretches with a loud, drawn-out yawn as his alarm beeps softly next to his bed. 

_What a strange dream_. It’s all fuzzy in his head, but he remembers being stuck somewhere underground. No, not stuck, he was _meant_ to be there, working, and there was a small town… the last wisps of the dream pull away from his mind as he rubs at his eyes. It doesn’t _really_ matter, he thinks, and brushes it off.

He takes his time getting up; it’s a Saturday, which means lunch with Liliana and Gideon, and maybe Bertie if he deigns it important enough to stop by, but nothing urgent. 

After a long shower, changing into a flattering casual outfit and spending time getting his eyeliner perfect in the mirror, he heads out the door to the kitchen.

“Morning, Gideon!” Hamid says sunnily as be spots the other man. He grabs the carton of milk from the fridge to make himself a bowl of cereal, slightly frowning as he makes a mental note to get some more groceries delivered soon. “Did you sleep well?”

“Morning, Hamid. Nice to see you’re back to normal,” Gideon says, laughing. 

Hamid pauses at the counter, spoon in hand as he turns back to give Gideon a confused look. “What d’you mean?”

“You were so off yesterday, Hamid, what gives?” Gideon asks, pointing a fork full of eggs at him. “You didn’t even put _makeup_ on.” 

“I _what?”_ Hamid exclaims, hand flying up over his mouth. “Not even - nothing?”

“Yeah, exactly, _weird_.”

This is, well, _suboptimal_ is an underexaggeration; Hamid can’t help but stare at Gideon in horror. 

“I can’t believe -“

“Oh, relax, I doubt anyone but me and Liliana noticed. You basically looked the same, anyway,” Gideon says dismissively. He picks up one of the newspapers from the stack on the chair and starts leafing through it, obviously paying little attention to Hamid. 

If there are… any photos of that, Hamid is going to find them and burn them. No makeup… what was he _thinking_ , yesterday? He finishes breakfast quickly, brow furrowed.

“Oh, and way to play the hero for Liliana yesterday, that was _inspired_ ,” Gideon comments, setting down the newspaper. He grabs a bag and a set of keys from the nearby table, rifling through the bag for a moment before snapping it shut. 

Hamid stares at him in confusion until Gideon sighs and rolls his eyes, before explaining. “You know those wankers at the café? Stood up to ‘em yesterday, you did. Told them off and everything.”

“I was - I - _what_?” Hamid nearly shrieks, taking a half-step back. Gideon just shrugs, looking unimpressed. “I don’t even… I don’t even remember doing that!”

“Yeah, it was ballsy, especially for you. Guess that’s what being _in love_ with Liliana does to a man. You could have _told_ me you were interested in her, Hamid, honestly. It’s not like I care.”

Hamid shakes his head rapidly. “I’m - I’m really not, and anyway, she wouldn’t be interested in me, we’re much better off as friends, it’s not - it’s not like that, Gideon.”

“Sure,” Gideon responds, slinging his bag over his shoulder and heading out of the apartment. “Anyway, you coming?” 

—

Liliana isn’t any different, in that she keeps telling him how weird he was acting without even _explaining_ it. After lunch, she pulls Hamid aside as Gideon starts heading down the road back to their flat. She seems… a bit warmer, to him, than she normally is, and she’s not making eye contact with him as she tucks a piece of hair behind her ear.

“Thanks, you know,” Liliana says, hint of a blush high on her cheeks. “For yesterday. I didn’t get a chance to say so.”

“Oh!” Hamid says, and he has absolutely no clue what she’s talking about, but based on how weird Gideon seemed to think he was acting yesterday, he’s sure it was out of character. Except - “Wait, is this about the café thing?”

Liliana looks at him like he’s grown two heads. “Well, yes? What else would it be about?”

Hamid shrugs, helplessly. “Gideon keeps saying I was acting weird, yesterday, and all of my memories are very hazy?” Liliana gives him a concerned look at that, and he winces. “No, it’s - it’s fine, really, just been a weird day, I suppose…?”

She doesn’t look convinced, but doesn’t push the issue. Hamid breathes a sigh of relief as she turns away without questioning him further.

“Oh - Liliana!” he calls after her and she turns around, questioning look on her face.

“I should have done it earlier,” Hamid says, and there’s a coil of guilt in his stomach as he realizes how often Liliana has had to deal with that, and how his and Gideon’s suggestions of simply ignoring it hadn’t been any help. “I’m sorry for not speaking up.”

“Yes, you should have,” Liliana says, a small smile creeping up her face. “But I’m glad you did now.”

—

Hamid makes a weak excuse to go to his room once they’re back in the flat. Gideon doesn’t really seem to care, collapsing on the couch and throwing an over his eyes as he waves Hamid on. 

The door shuts behind him and he leans against it for a moment before turning the lock. It’s a few steps to his bed, and then he’s falling into the sheets, rubbing his temples as he tries to sort his thoughts out. His memories from yesterday are… basically non-existent. There might be a shade of a memory from class, but even that feels hidden and hazy, and he has absolutely no recollection of anything happening at the café.

He thinks back to his strange dream from last night, of living a life in a town he didn’t recognize for a day, and shakily pulls out his phone, flipping the calendar back a day. 

“ _My name is Zolf Smith. Who are you? Has this happened to you?”_

Hamid’s mind reels as he flips back another day. All the previous entries are the same, little notes he took about the day and what happened. Yesterday’s is the only one that stands out, and based on the strange dream he had, and the fact that everyone told him how weirdly he was behaving yesterday, and now this note...

Oh, _dear_.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Snapshots.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> why don’t these idiots trade phone numbers? well i could talk about how shitty cell service is in the sticks, or i could just say plot, of course. 
> 
> ‘twas gonna have a few more snippets but i got tired. might do some side stories in the future /shrugs
> 
> *dropkicks this chapter into the tag* yeehaw
> 
> (zolf - bold; hamid - italics)

**_A note saved on a phone:_ **

_ “So, it looks like Zolf and I are switching bodies in our dreams. We have no idea how it could have happened, and no idea why it picked us two. The trigger seems to be sleeping - but when we wake up, we barely remember anything about the switch. It doesn’t happen every day, maybe two or three times a week.” _

  
  


**_A list of ideas, ripped from a page in a notebook:_ **

**“This all makes no sense, but if we don’t figure out how to convincingly be each other we’re going to ruin each other’s lives -**

  * ****have to record the days****


  * **tell hamid how to act better**


  * **keep feryn from finding out”**



  
  


**_A post-it note, dropped in the street_ ** _ : _

_ “Ground rules, keeping track, how are we going to do this???” _

  
  


**_Crumpled up paper, found laying at the bottom of a trashcan:_ **

**“Someone’s going to figure us out if we can’t get this right.”**

—

Zolf always has a headache after they switch. He doesn’t know if it’s something Hamid does, or a side effect of  _ whatever _ is making this happen, but anytime he wakes up with a headache, he makes it a point to pull his notebook to him from across his nightstand and flip to the previous day. 

He and Hamid had decided to keep track of the days as best they can when they switched, since their memories of the switch were hazy and started to fade when they woke up. 

  * •



It’s becoming a bit of a habit for Hamid to check his phone when he wakes up - immediately pulling up his calendar app and checking the previous day. Anytime he and Zolf switch, they do their best to write down a detailed description of what went on that day. This way, when people ask them what happened, they have an idea of it instead of having to stare at them blankly. It’s come in handy a few times for Hamid, although sometimes he’ll forget to check, or Zolf will accidentally leave out a detail, and he’ll be left confused and floundering until the other person explains it for him. Still, it’s the best method that they’ve been able to figure out, especially since the memories of the switch fade so quickly. 

—

_ 20 April _

Hamid stares at the prosthetic in frustration. He’d thought he’d done it right this time, he really had, but when he’d stood up the prosthetic had felt unsteady, constantly slipping around and chafing against his limb. Letting out a frustrated huff, he pulled off the sock and tossed it to the ground, cursing under his breath. 

There was a knock at the door and Hamid called out a quick, annoyed, “Come in!” and Feryn slid open the door. He glared down at the sock and the prosthetic leg until he felt Feryn sit on the bed next to him and rest a hand on his shoulder.

“Zolf? You okay?” 

“Can you just,” he gestures weakly to the prosthetic. Every time he’s switched into Zolf’s body he’s had to get Feryn’s help with it; he’s nervous that if he does it himself, he’ll do it wrong and it’ll hurt Zolf in the long run. 

“Oh,” Feryn says, and then he’s kneeling in front of Hamid with a concerned look on his face. “Is today a bad headspace day? Are you still with me?”

“Fine, just tired, I suppose,” Hamid says quietly, feeling bad for always using that excuse with Feryn. 

“Alright, here we go,” Feryn says. “Tell me if any of this contact is too much, alright?” 

Hamid nods, guilt pooling in his chest. It feels… wrong, to take advantage of this. But he doesn’t know how to put the prosthetic on well, and even with the help of Youtube tutorials he forgets some steps. 

Feryn grabs a bottle of lotion and gently rubs it over Hamid’s leg, moving quickly as he does so. Next up is what looks like a weird silicone sleeve, which wraps around Hamid’s leg; Feryn runs his hands over it a few times, smoothing it out. 

“Still with me?” he asks, and Hamid mutters a quiet affirmative. 

Feryn rummages around in the drawer next to the bed and pulls out a sock, pulling it on over the sleeve. The prosthetic leg comes next, and Feryn gently fits it around the limb. 

“Can you stand up for me?” he asks. Hamid does so, instinctively reaching out to hold onto Feryn’s shoulder as he momentarily loses his balance. Feryn waits until he lets go of his shoulder, and then reaches out and pulls the sleeve on the actual prosthetic up. “Can you pull it up the rest of the way?”

Hamid can, at the very least, do that, and rolls it up carefully, while Feryn grabs a pump from the drawer. “Good?”

“Yes,” Hamid says, and feels the sleeve around his limb tighten slightly as Feryn pumps. The leg feels steadier now, and he is able to walk around without feeling like he’s going to tip over. 

“Still good to to go the mines?” Feryn asks, like he does every time Hamid has to get him to help with the prosthetic. 

“Oh! Yes, of course,” Hamid says, glancing at the clock next to the bed. It’s nearly time for them to leave, anyway, and he’s not going to be responsible for Zolf losing a day of pay.

Feryn raises an eyebrow at him, clearly worried, but eventually nods. “Meet me downstairs in five minutes.”

Hamid nods as Feryn heads out of the room. He grabs Zolf’s uniform out of the closet and struggles into it, brushing his teeth and hurrying down the stairs so that they won’t be late.

_ 21 April _

Zolf stomps down the stairs, grumbling. Yesterday had been another switch day, then; Hamid never  _ does _ seem to go to bed in a timely fashion, and Zolf always wakes up exhausted. Feryn is sitting at the table when Zolf makes it into the kitchen, sipping a cup of tea and reading the morning paper. Zolf grunts a hello - he is  _ not _ a morning person when he’s tired, hell, he’s barely even a  _ person _ \- and grabs his own cup, rooting around in the fridge for some milk to add.

“Finally figured out how to put your leg on, huh?” Feryn says, giving Zolf a wink as he folds up the paper and sets it down on the table. “Thought it was day 1 all over again.”

Zolf rolls his eyes. He can’t very well  _ tell _ Feryn that some small, pretentious Egyptian man pilots his body sometimes, and is apparently unable to figure out how the prosthetic works; he just has to sit there while Feryn teases him about it.

“Must have been really tired yesterday,” he says, and Feryn gives him a sympathetic smile.

Honestly, he’s going to leave an instruction sheet and tape it to his own forehead just in case Hamid is the one who wakes up in his body tomorrow. 

  * •



_ 25 April _

“C’mon, Hamid, the restaurant is going to be crowded soon, don’t you want to beat the rush?” Gideon called, rolling his eyes as Zolf started to fall behind.

Zolf scanned through the menu on his phone, face blanching as he saw the prices. “Uh, isn’t this a - a little expensive?” he stammers, voice somehow coming out even more high-pitched as he exchanges a look with Liliana. “Maybe we could find a nice chip shop instead.”

Gideon grabs Zolf’s arm and tugs him forward. “Since when do you worry about money? Your father owns half the banks in the world, you can afford a $30 appetizer.”

Stomach rolling, Zolf lets himself be pulled along, wondering who the hell this guy is if he normally doesn’t even bat an eye at prices like this.

_ 26 April _

Hamid eyes the restaurant in front of them with distaste. It’s not  _ bad _ , exactly, but it’s not exactly up to his and Gideon’s standard tastes. 

“Er, Gideon, are you sick of Giovanni’s? Or Marcelles? Or House Maori?” Hamid asks, casting a confused glance in Gideon’s direction. They’re standing in front of Tuxedo, a nice little place near their flat that has  _ decent _ reviews but simply isn’t up to the standard of the five-star restaurants they frequent. There’s not even a queue at the door (not that that’s ever halted Hamid, the al Tahans manage the bank accounts of most of the five-star restaurants in London, and in return always have a table on hand when they decide to use it). Still, Gideon leads the way in without answering and Hamid follows behind him, not wanting to be left outside in the crisp spring air. The maître d’ leads them to the table and they sit. Hamid pulls the menu out and begins scanning through their cocktails.

“Hamid,” Gideon says after the maître d’ has left, “we went to Marcelles yesterday, and you wouldn’t shut up about how expensive it was. Kept talking about how they should put prices on the menu if they wanted people to buy things.”

“Hmm. Did I,” Hamid says through gritted teeth. He doesn’t  _ remember _ going to Marcelles, which is a shame considering how delicious their food is, which means that Zolf was probably there yesterday with Gideon. And commenting on the  _ menu  _ of all things. 

Hamid is going to leave him a strongly worded note about taste and culture.

  * •



_ 29 April _

Hamid is  _ so tired _ . The pickaxe in his hands is heavy, and hitting rock for hours on end looking for ore is  _ boring _ . It doesn’t help that Hamid is simply terrible at using the axe, and misses half the time.

He hears someone call his name from behind and whirls around, seeing Feryn standing there and giving him a confused look. “All good over there?” 

Hamid nods, wiping away the sweat from his face, and gives Feryn a thumbs up. 

“Only… only three hours left, right? And then we get to go home.”

“We have dinner at old man Gusset’s on Wednesday, Zolf, you know this.” Feryn looks concerned as he reaches forward and resting a hand against Hamid’s forehead. “Sure you’re feeling okay?”

Hamid laughs and waves his hand away. “Of - of course. I’m fine! I just, I must have forgotten, of course it’s Wednesday.”

Feryn doesn’t look completely convinced but he does leave Hamid alone after that. Hamid lets out a sigh of relief and goes back to hammering, mostly ineffectively, at the rock.

_ 30 April _

Feryn keeps giving him concerned glances as Zolf chips away at the stone in front of him. Zolf can see the worry emanating off of his brother, and finally turns around to look at him. 

“Yeah?” he asks, leaning on his pickaxe. “D’you want something?”

Feryn shrugs. “You were off yesterday. Kept looking like you were about to keel over from exhaustion. You sleep well, Zolf?”

“Ah,” he says. Hamid, then, since he doesn’t seem to remember. They’ll really have to work on that, considering that Zolf having a bad day in the mine has a bit of a bigger impact than Hamid might realize. “No, ah, didn’t sleep too well the other night. Nightmares, and all, but - it’ll be fine, I’m fine, sorry for… worrying you.”

“You don’t have to apologize for  _ that _ , Zolf,” Feryn says. “Just let me know if you’re not feeling great in future, yeah? Losing a day’s work is better than being sloppy down here.”

Zolf nods, and makes a mental note to tell Hamid to go at his own pace when he’s down here and just watch what everyone else is doing to figure it out. 

  * •



_ 6 May _

Zolf stares distastefully at the rows of makeup lining the counter. Hamid had  _ said _ to put makeup on, and Zolf wants to respect his wishes, he really does, but who needs five different kinds of foundation, and how is Zolf supposed to know which is the right one to use? He glances at the clock and swears, loudly - he’s already running late, he doesn’t have  _ time _ to put any of this on anyway, so he just sends a silent apology to Hamid and grabs his bag as he heads out the door. Gideon is sitting in the kitchen, as always, and raises his eyebrows when he sees Zolf.

“Going natural today, Hamid? That’s not like you,” Gideon says. Zolf doesn’t know what to do but awkwardly laugh, mumble something about trying new things and grab a banana from the fruit bowl on the table. 

It doesn’t get  _ better _ as they walk to uni; Gideon won’t shut up about it, for one, and then Liliana keeps looking at him like she’s never seen him before. And then she asks him to take a  _ photo _ , “because we never get to see the natural side of you, Hamid, c’mon, smile!” and Zolf feels his stomach drop.

Hamid is going to kill him. 

“Yeah, what Lili said. Smile, Hamid, c’mon,” Gideon cajoles, and Zolf shoots him a death glare before capitulating, forcing a smile as he tries to think of ways to explain this later.

_ 7 May _

“He - I did  _ what!”  _ Hamid yells, grabbing Gideon’s phone from him and zooming in on his own face in the picture. Sure enough, he can almost  _ tell _ that it’s Zolf. The smile is a bit more muted, but still genuine, and he looks a little less comfortable being in front of the lens, and if you weren’t looking for it, you wouldn’t be able to tell.

Apart from, of course, the complete lack of foundation, or eyeliner, or mascara, or  _ anything _ on his skin.

“You looked fine, Hamid, stop worrying. You can still be the prettiest boy at university without caking your face everyday,” Gideon says, rolling his eyes, and Hamid feels the urge to accidentally drop Gideon’s phone. Instead, he hands it back with a smile, and laughs, poking Gideon in the cheek. “Oh, of course, no need to be jealous.”

Gideon ruffles his hair and Hamid nearly shrieks as his hands fly up to bat Gideon’s away, nervously running through his hair to fix it.

“It’s not a big deal,” Gideon says. “Plus, Liliana couldn’t stop looking at you yesterday.”

Hamid grins, forced, and swears he’s going to print out an entire instruction sheet for doing make up, just in case they switch and Zolf decides to, once again, make the erroneous choice to… to parade Hamid’s body around barefaced. 

  * •



_ 10 May _

Sasha pokes Hamid in the cheek and he yelps, pushing her hand away.

“What was that for?” he exclaims, scooting backward. She doesn’t respond, just squints at his face a little bit more. 

“Mate, what’s on your face?” she asks, and Hamid’s hands flutter up. 

“There’s something on my face?” he says, carefully brushing around, stalling in confusion as Sasha shakes her head. 

“No, it’s -  _ all _ over your face.” 

_ Oh _ . The makeup. Hamid had gone out to get some foundation and eyeliner a few switches ago, and hidden it in the back of the closet. Nothing special and nothing expensive, just some basic stuff that he could use. Zolf must not have found it, since it was still there every time Hamid had checked, but he hadn’t felt comfortable using it until now. If Zolf wasn’t going to use makeup while in his body, he would just have to use it while in Zolf’s. Plus, it did complement Zolf’s skin perfectly, and the eyeliner just helped amplify his already-lovely green eyes. Hamid wasn’t branching out into eyeshadow or anything else, just some little enhancements here and there.

“That’s… new,” Sasha says dubiously. “Looks good, I suppose. Makes your eyes pop a bit more.”

Hamid can't help it - he preens. “Thank you, Sasha, I’m glad you like it.”

_ 11 May _

“So, no makeup today?” Sasha says, craning her head to look back at Zolf as they ride her moped through the streets.

“Look in front of you!” Zolf yells, holding tighter to her waist, and Sasha is wearing a helmet over her face but Zolf  _ swears _ he can feel her rolling her eyes. 

Wait -  _ what. _

He stews while Sasha drives them down to the beach, where Brock is waiting with towels and a picnic basket. The second the bike’s engine kicks off and Sasha pulls off her helmet, Zolf asks. 

“Did you say makeup? When was I wearing makeup?” Zolf asks, trying to sound casual instead of sort-of pissed off. Sasha gives him a weird look, so he isn’t sure it completely lands, but whatever. 

“Er, yesterday? You sure you’re alright, Zolf? Head working fine?” Sasha says, poking his temple. Zolf swats her hand away. 

“I’m fine, just -“  _ going to kill Hamid.  _ “Guess I must have been feeling off yesterday.”

Sasha shrugs. “Looked nice.”

Zolf’s sure it did, knowing Hamid. And at least Sasha isn’t teasing him about it. Not that she ever would, unlike -

Oh, gods, if Feryn saw Hamid yesterday… he’s never going to believe Zolf if he says he isn’t interested in wearing makeup. He’ll want to support Zolf, which is all well and good and which Zolf truly  _ does _ appreciate, considering how much of an ass their father is, but it’s completely unnecessary for this occasion. 

“Well. I, ah, probably won’t be doing it again, so,” Zolf trails off, hitching the bag up higher on his shoulder. He can deal with Feryn later, probably, or maybe he got lucky and Feryn didn’t notice.

“S’alright. I got pictures,” Sasha says and Zolf stops in his tracks.

“You’ve got  _ what.” _

  * _•_



_ 17 May _

Zolf, at heart, wasn’t a violent person. He believed in the inherent good of people, usually, and even with all the sulking was a relatively optimistic person. Sure, his dad is an ass, but he does have good ideas for the town that Zolf begrudgingly can agree with, even if Feryn disagrees. He’s met his fair share of assholes over the years, even gotten into scraps with a few, but there haven’t been many occasions where he just hates someone in sight.

And then Bertie McGuffingham comes to visit Hamid at university. Bertie goes to Cambridge while Hamid goes to Oxford, but they’ve apparently been friends since they were children, if Bertie’s stories are anything to go by. 

See, Zolf isn’t a violent person. But  _ Bertie. Bloody. MacGuffingham.  _

It’s like everything he does is intended to drive Zolf mad. First, it was the casual bigotry toward anyone who wasn’t as rich as he imagined himself to be. And then it was the braggadocio, talking all about his and Hamid’s previous exploits, some of which Zolf is sure he’s either making up or exaggerating, and some which he feels the need to confront Hamid about if they’re true.

The straw that broke the proverbial camel’s back was Harrison Campbell novels, which Zolf hadn’t seen coming, if he’s being honest. He had an entire shelf of his bookshelf at home dedicated to Campbell; the books were relatively cheap, so Feryn could afford to get them for his birthday or the holidays, and they were pretty good for trashy romance novels. 

So, when Bertie insults them, after hours of dealing with the man and his stupid microaggressions, Zolf snaps. He doesn’t… completely remember what he’d called the man, but it wasn’t pretty, and it had devolved into a public shouting match that left Zolf storming off to the apartment and slamming the door to Hamid’s room shut hard enough to rattle the walls. 

He stews for hours, muttering about Bertie’s dog not even being that cute, and how a man that large must have an absolutely pea-sized… brain. It helps him calm down, luckily, and once all the anger and disdain is out he pulls a notepad from Hamid’s desk toward himself and scribbles out a quick explanation and apology. Not to Bertie, obviously, because Zolf is still pissed, but to Hamid for reacting that way. After all, he has to remember he’s not  _ Zolf _ , here, he has to act like Hamid.

It’s a bit of a drain, sometimes, if he’s honest, but he owes Hamid that much.

_ 18 May _

There’s nothing of importance on Hamid’s phone when he wakes up the next morning. Zolf always makes a list while Hamid writes a story, and today is no different. He tosses his phone to the side and stretches as he gets up and gets ready. There’s nothing on his calendar for the day, so a lazy Saturday it will be. He does the barest amount of makeup before heading out of his room, grabbing some of his homework from his bag on the way so that he can get started on it before the week starts in earnest. 

The homework doesn’t get done for most of the day while Hamid dozes on the couch, picking the spot with the most sunlight. Gideon must come in some time later, since he’s sitting on the couch reading a book when Hamid wakes up. 

“Oh, good morning!” he says cheerfully, and Gideon snorts.

“Hamid, it’s gone four. You’ve been asleep all afternoon.”

Hamid blinks. “Oh! Well, good afternoon, then, Gideon.” He sits up and yawns, rubbing at his eyes. “What are you reading?”

“New Harrison Campbell. Went out and picked it up this morning.”

Hamid can’t hide the look of disgust. “Harrison Campbell, really? That’s who you pick?”

“Well, you seemed to love him yesterday, considering you went off at Bertie about ‘em. Might wanna call Bertie and apologize, by the way.”

Hamid stares at Gideon for a minute, mouth agape. “I’m sorry, what? Me, like  _ Campbell? _ You must be joking.”

Gideon gives him an incredulous look. “Hamid, seriously? You’ve been way more spacey recently, that’s for sure, but  _ christ. _ You yelled at each other for at least thirty minutes yesterday.”

Oh,  _ no _ . Yesterday was - there’s a sinking feeling in Hamid’s stomach as he realizes that Bertie would have spoken to  _ Zolf _ yesterday, and rises unsteadily from the couch. “Yes, of course, I’ll get on that, excuse me.”

He heads out of the room and ducks into his. The notebook on his desk is open and Hamid sees a note scribbled down on there, signed with Zolf’s name at the bottom. He sighs and pulls the page toward him, scanning it through quickly. It’s short, everything Zolf writes is, but it basically outlines the argument that he and Bertie had had - namely, over Campbell books.

Hamid had never taken Zolf to be a romance lover; he’s really only ever associated him with a gruff, stoic appearance, and finding out about the Campbell novels makes him smile. Even though the books are vapid trash, it’s sweet to know that Zolf has a romantic side. 

He just… won’t tell Zolf that he agrees with Bertie in this circumstance. And he’ll call Bertie and apologize, as well, say he’d momentarily lost his mind. Bertie will probably take it all in stride, anyway; he normally does, after all.

—

**_Zolf’s Ground Rules (an incomplete list)_ **

  * ****NO MAKEUP.****


  * **Don’t be late to the mines!**


  * **Stop spending my money with Sasha and Brock**


  * **Practice walking with the prosthetic, Feryn knows I know how to walk in one and you’re apparently ‘awkward’**


  * **See above: learn how to put it** ** _on_**


  * **Stop laughing at Feryn’s shite jokes you just encourage him**


  * **Don’t listen to Sasha and Brock if they say they have a good idea, it will end in explosions**



  
  


**_Hamid’s Ground Rules (an incomplete list)_ **

  * __Take notes in classes__


  * _Don’t be disrespectful to the professors_


  * _Stop flirting with Liliana!_


  * _MAKEUP! (please)_


  * _If my sisters call, please don’t tell them I’m in love with anyone, they won’t stop asking me about them_


  * _Just… don’t talk to Bertie anymore_


  * _No jeans on days we have class. Make sure your outfits match._


  * _Gideon’s birthday is November 10 and Liliana’s is July 2, they will expect me to remember_



**_Notes passed between two people, through phones and on paper:_ **

_ “You know, if you’re not going to take good notes, the least you could do is copy off of Gideon, I can’t fail another exam because I can’t read your handwriting!” _

“ **My handwriting is fine, not all of us were lucky enough to have tutors who taught us everything, Hamid.”**

  * •



“ **How the hell does this eyeliner work, I swear to the gods, Hamid…”**

“ _ Would it kill you to go look up a makeup tutorial! Really, Zolf, they’re everywhere, and I have my reputation to think about, not to mention Gideon and Liliana always knowing something is off when you don’t wear makeup.” _

  * •



_ “Can you PLEASE stop flirting with Lili! I don’t actually want to date her! Plus, Gideon likes her, and I don’t want to piss him off.” _

“ **Gideon is a piece of shit anyway, I don’t know why you care so much what he thinks about you. Just today he wanted to pull a prank on Professor Einstein, and it was cruel.** ”

_ “He’s - he’s just like that, sometimes, he doesn’t mean anything by it. Just… stop trying to set me up with Liliana. She wouldn’t be interested anyway.” _

“ **We’ll see about that.** ”

“ _ Zolf, I’m not kidding, I swear to god.” _

  * •



_ “You know, I think Sasha and Brock like me more. Brock’s a hugger, you know. Maybe I’m cooler than you!” _

**“Sure you are, Hamid. Whatever makes you feel better.”**

_ “I could be!” _

  * •



**“God, how do you deal with this homework, none of it even makes sense.”**

_ “It makes sense to me, I’ve studied it! Just leave it for me to do, and don’t copy off Gideon, he gets it wrong half the time anyway.” _

**“Fine, whatever. Just hope I don’t end up in your body on an exam day.”**

  * •



_ “I can’t believe you only have one brother, you two are so close!” _

**“Yeah, well, we’ve been through a lot.”**

_ “I have five siblings, and it’s absolute chaos around the holidays.” _

**“I can’t even imagine it.”**

_ “Feryn seems like a good brother to have, at least.” _

**“Yeah. Yeah he is.**

  * •



_ “Did you leave the paracetamol on the counter for when I woke up?” _

**“Yeah, your knee was hurting yesterday, Gideon said you tripped, so I figured it would probably last a bit. Left it out last night so you could take it when you woke up.”**

_ “That’s… very kind of you, Zolf.” _

  * •



**“You know you don’t have to be friends with people who treat you like Gideon does, right, Hamid? You deserve better.”**

_ “He’s - I know, yes, but he’s really not that bad, I promise. Just a bit prickly.” _

**“You still deserve to be treated better. You’re a good person.”**

_ “... Thank you, Zolf.” _

  * •



_ “I bought some lavender oil for you (don’t worry, it wasn’t expensive!) so that you can use it before you go to sleep.” _

**“Uh, thanks, but why?”**

_ “Feryn says he hears you screaming at night, sometimes. Sorry, I know it’s none of my business, but… this helps with sleeping?” _

**“Oh, ah - thanks, then, I suppose. I appreciate it.”**

  * •



_ “Maybe one day you could come to London? We could finally meet in person.” _

**“Yeah. Maybe I should.”**


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i’m not kidding when i say the last chapter was kicking my ass now i’m just forging ahead w all of this
> 
> we’re hurtling toward my favorite bit

The alarm doesn’t wake Hamid up in the morning and he breathes a sigh of relief - back in his own body, then, and relieved about it. He stretches in his bed, hands over his head to pull at his shoulders, when he realizes with a sinking feeling in his stomach that he can’t feel his left leg. Sure enough, when he opens his eyes, he’s in Zolf’s room, and he can’t help the groan. 

They’ve been switching more often recently. What used to be a twice-a-week occasion feels more like four or five times, now. 

At least Hamid knows how to put the prosthetic on, although he’d been highly unamused to wake up with an instruction manual taped to his forehead one day. It was still  _ helpful,  _ even if Hamid had almost refused to read it on principle. 

Regardless, they're both starting to fit in more naturally with the other person’s life, and it’s been nearly five months since the first switch. There are still moments where they falter, of course, but it’s all starting to feel more real to both of them. 

Hamid finishes getting the prosthetic on and changes, heading down the stairs and grabbing a bowl from the cupboard to make himself some breakfast. He doesn’t really fancy cooking today, so a bowl of cereal it is. Feryn’s already sitting at the table when he walks in, eating an omelette and drinking a black coffee.

“Why didn’t my alarm go off?” Hamid asks, glancing over at Feryn, whos face drops into a frown. 

“Did you seriously forget? Zolf, god, we do this every year. Are you messing with me?”

“Ah…” Hamid starts, eyes darting around the kitchen for any sort of clue about the day and, finding none smiles weakly. “Of course not, just a little tired still. I didn’t - didn’t  _ forget _ .”

Feryn doesn’t look like he believes him at all, but seems to have decided to let it slide for now. They eat together in silence, broken only by the news on the telly in the kitchen.

_ “We’re only a day away from the comet passing overhead, folks, and it looks like it will be directly above us on the night of the autumn festival!” _

_ “Pure luck, Jimmy, but the perfect time for people to make a wish on a falling star. Count ourselves lucky!”  _

Hamid’s spoon scraped across the bottom of his bowl as he finishes up, wordlessly grabbing his own bowl and Feryn’s as he heads toward the counter and starts washing up. 

“Where’s your offering?” Feryn asks, checking his watch. “We should be heading over soon, it takes a while to get there.”

“Let me, ah, let me go grab it!” Hamid squeaks, which doesn’t translate well in Zolf’s voice, and dashes back up the stairs. He makes a beeline for the notebook and, yes, thank god, Zolf’s written out an explanation, a note at the top denoting “ **Just in case we switch.** ” 

Apparently, it’s a ritual that him and his brother do every year - there’s an old family shrine a few kilometres away, and since his grandmother died a decade or so ago, both he and Feryn are expected to bring offerings to the shrine to ensure good peace and prosperity for their family and the town. The shrine is, apparently, to a local goddess named Ceridwen, which is a name (not surprisingly) unfamiliar to Hamid. There’s another note about the offering, which Zolf says is tucked into the top drawer of his desk. 

Hamid flips the page to see if there’s anything more, but the pages are blank and he shuts the notebook. Zolf’s desk, tucked over in the corner of the small room, is piled high with papers and a random array of objects. Hamid is careful as he pulls open the top drawer and sees an immaculately carved wooden dolphin, and gently takes it out of the drawer. It really is beautiful - Hamid had never known that Zolf was able to do this, and runs a finger along the smooth side.

“Zolf! Let’s go, it’s almost noon,” Feryn falls up the stairs, and Hamid jumps, almost dropping the dolphin.

“Right!” he calls back, cradling the dolphin close to his chest as he hurries down the stairs and meets Feryn at the door with a grin. “Ready to go.”

Feryn is holding what must be his own offering, a strangely beautiful metal goat, and Hamid can’t hide the awe in his voice as he reaches out a hand to brush against its little horns. “That’s amazing,” he says, glancing up at Feryn. Feryn smiles, and reaches out to ruffle his hair. 

“See  _ you’re _ branching out this year with… another dolphin. Truly inspired.”

Hamid laughs. “Oh, shut up,” he says, falling into the role of younger brother with ease. “I like dolphins.” 

“I’m sure you do,” Feryn says with a wink, and Hamid groans and rolls his eyes.

“Feryn, that doesn’t even make  _ sense,  _ it’s not even funny.”

“To  _ you _ , maybe,” Feryn replies. “Shall we?” He pushes open the door and gestures for Hamid to go first. Hamid steps through and waits for Feryn to take the lead, figuring they’ll grab Feryn’s bike and head up the road. Instead, they walk past it and out into the street.

“About how far away is the shrine, again? I know I ask every year,” he says, chuckling to hide the nervousness, “but I always seem to forget.”

Feryn rolls his eyes. “It’s a bit over five miles. God, Zolf, your memory is like a sieve.”

“You have no idea,” Hamid mutters under his breath. 

—

The shrine isn’t anything special, but Hamid can’t help but feel a sense of reverence as he kneels down in front of it, Feryn to his side. Feryn reaches out a hand and brushes his knuckles against the stone surface, as Hamid mimics his actions. He reaches back into his bag and pulls out the metal goat from his bag, resting it gently on the raised rock of the shrine. 

Hamid does the same, gently placing the dolphin down on the pedestal of the shrine, bowing his head as he does so. At his side, Feryn is muttering a quiet prayer to the god, Hamid thinks he called her Ceridwen, and Hamid closes his eyes in respect. He might not believe in gods, not the way Feryn and Zolf seem to, but it’s clear that this ritual has importance, and he won’t disrespect their beliefs. 

Feryn finishes up the prayer and leans forward to kiss the stone of the shrine. When Hamid doesn’t make a move, Feryn turns and tilts his head toward the rock, giving Hamid an exasperated look. 

Hamid hesitantly leans forward and, at Feryn’s encouraging look, presses his lips to the cool stone. He might not believe in gods, but that doesn’t stop him from thinking a quiet ‘I’m sorry’ for being the wrong one, for intruding on this moment.

It feels… wrong, being here, being the one doing this, when it was so clearly meant to be Zolf and Feryn, but whatever fates have decided to play this cosmic joke on him decided for today, of all days, to be one where they switch. 

Feryn rises slowly and reaches out a hand to help Hamid stand, who takes it gratefully. Even after months of practice, he isn’t completely used to the prosthetic. Feryn claps a hand on his shoulder and, together, they step out of the shrine. Hamid can’t resist a glance back, and watches as the candle flames flicker and die.

—

The sun is setting, in the distance, as Hamid sits on the edge of the ridge and lets his legs dangle off the side. 

Golden hour, his mind supplies, and he reaches out a hand almost unconsciously as the world around him becomes bathed in a soft golden glow. The atmosphere feels almost tenuous here, as though something is waiting for the string to snap.

Hamid closes his eyes and lets the wind blow through his hair and caress his skin even as his hand falls down into his lap. He glances around and the world feels hazy, a little less real, as the sun continues to set.

“It’s beautiful,” he says quietly, glancing over the town below before his gaze is drawn back to where the shrine is, where he’d gently placed Zolf’s tribute and tried not to feel like the worst sort of imposter. 

“Golden hour always is,” Feryn says, and there’s something sad in the lines of his face as he turns to look at him and smiles, and it feels like he’s looking  _ through _ Hamid. “You’re dreaming, aren’t you?”

Hamid wakes up.

His face is wet and he shakily brushes his fingers across his cheekbones, wiping away the tear tracks that have left marks on his face. 

_ Why... _ he thinks, and then he registers that he was woken up by his phone alarm going off, and he scrambles over to grab it. It’s been going off for fifteen minutes, and Hamid feels his anxiety begin to spike as a text from Liliana comes in.

_ “Be there in a few! Can’t wait to see you today.” _

“No, no no no, Zolf, what did you  _ do _ ?” 

There’s a note laying on his desk and, swearing quietly under his breath, Hamid opens it.

_**Hamid,** _

_**Convinced Liliana to go on a date with me - well, you - today at 10.30. You’ll be meeting her at the art museum. Don’t be late; first impressions are always the most important.** _

_**Zolf** _

Shit. Shit, shit,  _ shit, _ Hamid thinks as he runs around the room, grabbing the nearest clean clothes he can find and changing. He’s in and out of the bathroom to brush his teeth and fix his hair and put on the barest amount of makeup before grabbing his shoes and running out the door. 

Thankfully, Gideon must still be holed up in his room down the hall, so Hamid doesn’t have to answer any questions from him before he’s out the door and walking purposefully to the nearest tube station. 

_ Goddammit, Zolf _ .

—

Zolf wakes up with a gasp, the next morning. There’s a familiar dull pain in the very back of his head, which he now associated with the switch. So yesterday was a Hamid day, then. He remembers spending time in Hamid’s body, but the memories are so fuzzy it’s barely even worth trying to remember. The only thing he remembers with any sort of clarity is that he’d finally convinced Liliana to go on a date with Hamid today, and had let Liliana decide where they would go.

He takes the time to get his prosthetic on, and smiles at the bottle in his hands. Hamid had bought him the bottle a few switches ago, saying it was better and more moisturizing, and smelled loads better than the lotion he had been using. It was a sweet gesture, and Zolf had been using the lotion ever since. He makes his way over to the dresser and sees his notebook has been shut. Hamid must have been here yesterday, then. He flips it open but there’s no new information, which is more than a little weird. Whatever. 

He checks the top drawer of his desk and the dolphin is gone, so Hamid must have been here for the annual shrine visit. Hopefully, Feryn wasn’t too weird, but Zolf has sort of come to expect it from his brother now. 

Hamid is probably making his way to the date, Zolf thinks while changing. The date will be… it will be fine. Hamid just has to not be awkward and everything will be perfect. It’s obvious how much Liliana likes him, how much he likes her in return even if he tried to tell Zolf he was wrong. Gideon and his other friends from uni certainly hadn’t had the impression that Hamid wasn’t into Liliana. 

He really does like her. And, he thinks, it’s not like - it’s not like Zolf has any  _ claim _ to Hamid. Hamid will go on the date, and he’ll have a lovely time with Liliana, and it’s what he  _ deserves _ . Someone to love him. 

Maybe Zolf had - but, no, Zolf will always be here, and Hamid will always be in the city, and he’s lucky enough to be able to speak with Hamid through letters and notes. 

He hopes Hamid and Liliana are having an  _ incredible _ time.

He feels something on his cheek and turns toward the mirror. Tears are falling down his face and he didn’t even realize, as he reaches out toward his reflection. Shaking his head, he wipes away the tears and frowns.

“Why am I…” he murmurs, staring at the moisture on his hand.

—

Hamid makes it to the tube station in time to catch the next one heading down the Northern line, dashing through crowds with muttered apologies as he finally makes it into the station. He checks his watch again, and its already 10.30, but he should be at the meet-up point in any minute now. Hopefully, Liliana will chalk it up to him always being late and not give him too much grief over it.

God, Hamid is going to be  _ late _ to their first-ever date. 

He glances around the station, standing on his toes to try and peer over the heads of the crowd. It doesn’t help that both he and Liliana are shorter than average. 

“Hi, Hamid,” comes a pleasant voice from behind him, and Hamid jumps, spinning around. Liliana laughs as he turns, hand coming up to cover her mouth, before reaching out and grabbing his hand. “Sorry, you just looked so lost in thought, I couldn’t resist.”

She’s… beautiful, he thinks. She’s in a flowing sundress, a bright red color, and he feels his stomach flip as she squeezes his hand. 

“You look amazing,” he says, and he catches a hint of a blush on her cheeks. 

“Thank you, Hamid,” she replies, and then tugs him forward. “Come on. I know we said to go to the art museum, but I’m starving. Care for some brunch?”

Hamid grins over at her. “I’d love some.”

She laughs, and pulls him along. He follows behind her as she directs him to some hole-in-the-wall café, which he looks at with no small sense of badly-hidden disdain. Liliana must twig the expression, because she rolls her eyes good-naturedly. “Oh, come on, trust me? I know it’s not up to your or Gideon’s standards for aesthetic, but it’s absolutely delicious.”

Hamid isn’t sure if he believes her, but it is a date, so he lets himself get pulled inside. 

Liliana was right, of course. The food is delicious, better than some of the five-stars Hamid frequents, and it’s nice being able to laugh loudly and not get dismissive and nigh-offended looks from the other patrons. Time passes and Hamid doesn’t notice. Zolf would have loved this place, Hamid thinks, and resolves to leave a note for him to come check it out. They chat for a while, mostly about school and Gideon, and then Liliana’s watch beeps. 

“Oh! We have one more detour before the museum,” Liliana says, and Hamid nods, grabbing both of their receipts and heading to the counter to pay. She grabs his hand again as he comes back, and they both head out the door into the sunlight. 

They end up at a small park after walking for a few minutes. Liliana lets go of his hand to dash ahead, making her way to a fountain in the middle of the park. Hamid follows along behind her, smiling. The park is quiet, only a few people walking by or feeding the birds, and it’s so calm. Hamid feels like he’s back in Zolf’s town, again, running around with Sasha and Brock. Both of them would love the fountain, it’s ornate and expensive for Sasha to admire, and the intricate metalwork is definitely something Brock and Feryn would love to inspect. Zolf would probably sit on the bench in front of the fountain and watch everyone else have fun, smiling faintly. 

He realizes a bit late that Liliana is talking to him, explaining something about the construction of the fountain, and Hamid tunes back in in time to nod along. He glances back at Liliana when she stops talking and she has a strange smile on her face as she looks at him. 

“What?” he asks, tilting his head.

She shakes hers, and turns away. “Nothing. Are you ready for the art museum?” 

Hamid reaches out to grab her hand this time, and squeezes it. “I can’t wait,” he says honestly, and her smile becomes a little more real.

The walk to the museum isn’t a long one, but it’s past mid-afternoon by the time they’ve actually made it over. There’s some special exhibit going on this week, something called ‘Reflections’, which looks interesting. Liliana stops short to read the description of the collection while Hamid pays for their tickets and they head in. 

The art museum is beautiful; all vaulted ceilings and open space, windows open to let a hint of breeze in while skylights let the sun soak into the room and the walls. There are a few avant-garde pieces in the front room that Hamid is intrigued by, and they spend some time looking at the large sculptures on the floor above and snickering at the naked ones. Art or not, it’s still funny.

They find the room with the special collections after bypassing the hallway of decorative plates, not really feeling like it’s a huge loss. 

The collection isn’t massive; just an expanse of photos on the wall, all showing different landscapes. They walk along the wall, as Liliana points out some of her favorites. There’s a gorgeous photo of an old abandoned church, a still pond in the middle of trees, a crumbling statue raising above a hill, and a cracked mirror in what looks like a rundown bathroom.

Hamid’s eyes drift to the next picture and he immediately stops in his tracks, motionless. Liliana continues walking ahead, moving slowly as she looks at all of the different photos.

But this photo, on the wall… it was Zolf’s town. Hamid couldn’t remember the name, even though he  _ knows _ that he’s heard it, and there’s no information on the placard sitting next to it. The lake in the center of the photo is gorgeous, and you can see the reflection of the sun on the water in the photo. The photo is too small for Hamid to really make anything out, but he thinks he recognizes the steeple of the school near the entrance to the town, and the ridge that he and Feryn have gone to sit on so many times.

It’s… beautiful. He wishes he could send it to Zolf. 

“Hamid?” He jumps as he hears Liliana’s voice right next to him, and laughs nervously. 

“Oh! Sorry, I was... lost in thought.”

Liliana cocks her head and regards Hamid with an inscrutable gaze. “Are you alright?” she asks, and Hamid blushes.

“Yes, sorry, I’m fine! I’m not sure what happened, sorry.”

She doesn’t say anything for a moment, just gazes at him like she’s sizing him up. 

“Is… something on my face?” he says, and she shakes her head.

“No, you’re just… acting differently, is all,” Liliana says. “Let’s go through the rest of the rooms, there’s another photography display I’d like to see.”

They go through most of the other rooms in near silence, Hamid lagging behind thinking about that photos of Zolf’s town. There’s something about it, something that he can’t put his finger on, but he’s distracted for the rest of the trek through the museum. He still loves the art he sees, and sometimes Liliana will wait for him to catch up to show him something that’s caught her eye.

When they leave the museum, dusk is setting in. Hamid can almost hear Feryn’s voice in his head talking about golden hour, and can’t keep the smile off of his face. Liliana is walking ahead of him, like she has been for most of the trip, and he takes a few quick steps to catch up with her and lay his hand on her shoulder.

“Would you like to get dinner, or something?” Hamid asks, and Liliana turns around to face him with a knowing smile on her face. 

“I think… we should call it a day, Hamid.” 

_ Oh. _ “Oh,” Hamid says, anxiously playing with his fingers. God, he’d been trying so hard not to flub this, and went and did so anyway. “Did - did you have a good time?”

Liliana is quiet for a moment, considering. “I did. I like spending time with you, Hamid. You’re very sweet.” She pulls down the brim of her hat and laughs. “But… this entire day I felt like I was spending time with a friend. And that’s not a  _ bad _ thing, obviously, but it didn’t feel like a date.”

“Oh.” Hamid doesn’t really know what else to say to that. “I’m sorry.”

She shakes her head. “Don’t be. I really did have a fun time, Hamid. And I don’t think you should be upset about this - there’s someone else you care about, isn’t there?”

“What are you talking about?” 

“There’s someone else you’re in love with, Hamid,” Liliana says, smiling kindly at him. “It’s pretty obvious. You’ve been thinking about her all day.”

“No, I - that’s not - it’s not a her,” Hamid blurts out, in lieu of anything else to say. Liliana doesn’t look as taken aback as Hamid had been expecting her to, and the smile doesn’t fade from her face. “That’s - I’m definitely not in love with him, we haven’t even really met? I’m just. Sorry.”

Liliana shakes her head. “Hamid, you can really be dense sometimes. You’ve been distracted and it doesn’t seem like your heart is in it.”

“It is! I promise, Lili,” Hamid says, reaching out to grab her hand, but Liliana pulls away. 

“I’m not  _ mad _ , Hamid.” She leans up against the pillar outside the art museum. “It’s been fun hanging out with you these past few days. You seem different, so I can only hope that this guy, whoever he is, has been a positive impact.”

Hamid splutters for a minute, and Liliana just rolls her eyes, albeit good-naturedly. “Think about what I said, alright? And thanks for the lovely trip. See you tomorrow at class!” She leans forward and kisses his cheek. 

And then she’s gone, heading down the pavement and turning back only to give Hamid a wave before she vanishes around the corner. He stands there under the one failing streetlight, blinking on and off as he watches her go. 

This was - he couldn’t say that she was wrong. He had been thinking about Zolf, but it, well. It wasn’t like thinking about how his day was going or if he was being safe in the mine or what Feryn was doing or - or anything else, frankly, meant that he was in love with the man. 

Hamid takes Liliana’s advice, and thinks. If he’d been on this date with Zolf instead… maybe they’d go to the cafe, first. Hamid could actually buy him food, even though Zolf has been using his money the entire time anyway. They could share one of the cakes, laugh about how absolutely crazy this all was, and then… Hamid wouldn’t take Zolf to the art museum. 

Hamid could kiss him under the stars.

God, he’s been an  _ idiot _ .

He’s - he’s in love with Zolf. Zolf, the person Hamid’s been switching dreams with for a year now, the person who always tries to make sure Hamid is comfortable with the situation, the one who set Hamid up with Liliana to make sure that he was happy, who - who - 

It’s Zolf. Because of course it’s been Zolf, this whole time. What else would explain the way he can’t stop thinking about how soft Zolf’s hair is, how kind Zolf is, how much he cares, how much he wishes they could - could actually talk, not just leaving each other notes. 

The way he feels when he isn’t with Zolf. When there’s a bit more time between changes.

God, Liliana was never going to let him live this down. 

He pulls out his phone. Zolf had keyed his number in, with a stammering note about how now they can talk in person, or as close to in-person as they can get, without only having the notes to rely on. Hamid’s chest feels warm when he sees the little note, so like Zolf, an offer without expectation, and Hamid clicks the number without hesitation. 

The line rings one, two, three, times while Hamid smiles, looking up at the sky above and wishing he could see the stars. 


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i promise this will be explained, it’s supposed to be a lil confusing
> 
> hi my name is bri ohallows and i love feryn smith

Zolf’s phone is ringing. He rolls over once, hiding his head under his pillow, as he debates the merits of laying in bed for the foreseeable future. The town festival is tonight, but Zolf is perfectly happy skipping if it means he can stay in bed all day. But then Feryn would never let it go, and he knows Sasha and Brock can just break into his room with ease, so he might as well just stiffen his shoulders a little bit and deal with it.

Yesterday had been… less than ideal. He didn’t know what he’d expected, honestly; what, a tearjerking confession? For everything to go perfectly smoothly, for it to all work out? He’d  _ hoped _ , sure, but he’d been trying to manage his own expectations. 

_ Time to be realistic, Zolf _ , he thinks, before grabbing his prosthetic and pump and taking five minutes to secure it in place. The ringing phone is shrill in his ears, and he answers it with a sharp “What?”

_ “Geez, mate, you sound terrible. No affection for your favorite brother?”  _ Zolf groans when he hears Feryn’s too-bright, too-chipper tone.

“Again, you’re my only brother,” he responds, voice dry. Feryn laughs, before making a quick comment to someone on his end, and Zolf rolls his eyes. 

“ _ Finally out of bed, champ _ ?” Feryn asks, and the noise around him dies down as he must head to a quieter place. “ _ Come by the town square, we’ve got work for you before the festival tonight. _ ”

He’s so tempted to tell Feryn no, to say he’s sick or something. Instead, he sighs, and says, “Alright. I’ll… be there in a few.”

“ _ Hey, Zolf... are you alright? _ ” Feryn asks. “ _ You came home yesterday from wherever you disappeared to and didn’t even say a word to me. Is everything good?” _

Zolf nods, feeling the familiar tightening in his chest. “Uh, yeah, Feryn, it’s… I’m dealing with it.”

_ “If you say so _ ,” Feryn says, sounding decidedly unconvinced. Zolf presses the heel of his hand into his forehead and just begs for his brother to get it, this one time, and not push. Whether by luck or Feryn actually picking up on the tone, he moves on, although the note of concern in his voice never really disappears. “ _ Sasha and Brock are already here looking for you. Apparently they want to know where you were yesterday too, which worries me as your brother cause you said you were with them, but we can deal with that after the festival, okay? _ ”

“Yeah - yeah, Feryn, sure, I’m - I gotta get ready.”

Feryn pauses, and Zolf can almost see the worried look on his face. His older brother never had been able to hide his emotions, always playing out for the world to see. It’s always made him feel guilty, and even now, halfway across town, he feels bad for stressing Feryn out. But it was something he needed to do, and now he  _ knows _ , and it’s… it’s all fine. Whatever.

“ _ Well, I’ll see you in a bit. Love you _ .” 

“Love you too, Feryn,” Zolf says, hanging up the phone and letting himself fall back onto the bed. 

He doesn’t lay there for long; he had promised to help his brother, and he owes Sasha an explanation for just vanishing yesterday, and he hopes she’ll understand. He struggles out of bed and throws some new clothes on. He doesn’t have plans to come back and change before the festival, if he even decides to stay for it, so he dresses a little nicer than normal. 

There’s an absence of weight on Zolf’s wrist that he hasn’t noticed until just then, and he glances down for a moment, until he realizes that his dolphin pendant isn’t on his wrist anymore. See, Zolf had almost never taken the pendant off, not since the day his mother had given it to him when he was still a kid and it barely even fit around his wrist. 

Oh,  _ shit _ , Zolf thinks, frantically, glancing around his room, opening drawers and checking the piles of paper and other random items stacked on his desk and dresser. The piles of clothes on his floor, the drawers of his desk, even under the bed and in the back of the closet, although it would have no reason to be there. 

After nearly ten minutes of fruitless searching, the pendant is still nowhere to be found, and Zolf slowly rises to his feet from where he was kneeling, arm stretched under the dresser. 

His phone beeps and he leans across the bed to grab it from the nightstand, pulling up the text message Feryn sent - a bunch of question marks - and he swears under his breath, grabbing a jacket from the back of his door and slipping his phone into his pocket as he heads out the door.

—

Sasha strolls up to him the second he gets close to the festival, trailed by Brock, who’s giving Zolf an almost betrayed look. 

“Where the hell were you yesterday?” he says, pouting. “We were supposed to meet for lunch.”

“Ah, sorry,” Zolf says. “Something came… up?”

Sasha, wisely, doesn’t say anything, giving Zolf a loaded look as she glances over at him, which is basically the nonverbal equivalent of whistling loudly and inauspiciously. Brock doesn’t  _ miss _ the look, either, and starts grumbling under his breath.

“So, what do we have to work on?” Zolf asks, and Brock thankfully lets him change the subject. There’s a look in his eyes, though, that means he isn’t getting away with it forever; that’s fine, honestly, he’ll  _ tell  _ Brock eventually. He just… needs a day or so to deal with it.

“Oh, Feryn wants us to hang some of the bunting. Apparently you’re good at untangling it, and I’m good at climbing,” Sasha shrugs, and starts making her way over to a nearby cart filled with it. Zolf follows, and Brock falls into step behind them. 

“I’m just here for the glowing commentary,” Brock says, and Zolf shoves at his shoulder, dodging away as Brock chases after him to return the favor. 

Sasha just laughs as she digs through the cart, pulling out all different strands and handing them to Brock. “Glowing commentary and workhorse, maybe.”

Brock pulls at a strand of her hair and Sasha yelps, rubbing at her head and glaring at him. Zolf rolls his eyes as they start bickering, grabbing the bunting from Brock’s unresisting grip and heading over to one of the shops. 

“Sasha, can you bring a ladder?” he calls over his shoulder, grunting as he drops the pile of bunting on the ground. 

She sticks her tongue out at Brock and grabs one of the ladders in the center of the square, walking toward where Zolf is beginning to untangle the bunting. Brock does as promised, providing quote-unquote glowing commentary while they work. 

It doesn’t take them as long as Zolf thought it would, although it is mid-afternoon by the time they finish up and get everything set. The decorations look nice, if Zolf does say so himself, and he and Sasha stand next to each other and admire their job well done. 

Feryn pops in a bit later, clapping them both on the shoulder and startling them. Sasha actually does jump away, hand going to her pocket like she’s going to pull out a knife and coming up empty. Zolf just rolls his eyes at his brother, who gives him a shit-eating grin before tugging on the side of his beard and dancing away, out of Zolf’s reach. 

“It looks great!” Feryn says, coming back when Zolf’s folded his arms around his chest. “Really spiffing.” 

“Sasha did a great job hanging ‘em up,” Brock chimes in, and then elbows Zolf (gently) in the side. “Zolf got ‘em untangled right quick, too. Made short work of it.”

Feryn laughs. “Thanks, Brock. It’s exactly what the council wanted it to look like. Great job.”

“Thanks,” Zolf and Sasha and Brock said in unison. Sasha and Zolf stared at Brock, eyebrows raised.

“What?” he said, shrugging. “I provided moral support.”

“Thought it was glowing commentary,” Sasha mumbles, and Zolf sniggers at her side. Brock pouts, again, and crosses his arms over his chest as he opens his mouth to argue, Feryn seamlessly cutting him off.

“Give us a mo’, yeah?” Feryn says, steering Zolf away down a small side alley, giving him a concerned look. “You alright, Zolf?” 

Zolf nods, and then thinks better of it, shrugging.

“I will be,” he says. “Can we - can we talk about it after the festival? I promise I’ll tell you what’s going on.”

Feryn still looks worried, but he’s always been good about giving Zolf space when he really needs it. It’s like he has a sixth sense for when Zolf is spiraling and when he just… needs a day to think something through. So he lets it slide, pulling Zolf into a quick hug. 

“I’ll hold you to that. I’ve got to head over to the football darts stand - promised Ms. Baker I’d help with the kids. You know where to find me, yeah?”

Zolf nods. “Yeah, I’ll head over if anything happens.”

“Alright. Stick with Sasha and Brock. Love you, see you later!” Feryn calls back as he jogs off. 

“I’m an  _ adult -  _ yeah, whatever, love you too,” he mutters, rolling his eyes good-naturedly. Feryn ruffles Brock’s hair and waits for Sasha to nod before giving her a quick squeeze as well, and then he’s off, turning down an alleyway out of sight.

“The comet’s coming tonight, you know,” Brock says, glancing up at the sky. “Will be passing right over us.”

“Really?” Zolf asks, following his gaze. Brock nods at his side.

“Haven’t you been hearing the news reports? Everyone’s been unable to stop talking about it. Same day as the festival ‘n all.”

“Huh.” 

Zolf has been hearing about the comet, it just hasn’t been something he’s been much focused on, what with all the body-switching that’s been around. He’d planned on watching it, even if he doesn’t feel the best today. Sasha and Brock had helped him get out of his funk, even thought he’d just wanted to sulk inside all night. 

“Here, we’ll get a better view from the field outside town, trust me,” Sasha says, smirk on her face, and tugs them both down the road. Brock follows, whooping and cheering, while Zolf carries on at a much more sedate pace. Comets are supposed to be the stars you wish on, yeah? Well, he’s got one or two rattling around, and if this comet is supposed to be as great as the newscasters have been saying it is, it should be able to fulfill at least one of them.

—

They lie down in the field together as the sun finally sets, laughing about something unimportant. The comet comes, and it’s as beautiful as it always is. It streaks across the sky, moving slower than Zolf ever would have expected. A soft blue light trails behind it, illuminating everyone and casting long shadows among the trees. 

“Wow,” Brock breathes beside him, and then he’s running into the field as Zolf and Sasha chase after him, laughing. 

Zolf wonders if Hamid can see it where he is. Wonders if Hamid has listened to him, taken Liliana to the bridge with the best view of the comet. 

Best not to think about. That’s a problem for the future, not tonight. He’ll tell Hamid he’s sorry the next time they swap, and tell him the truth, and maybe then he’ll get an answer instead of a blank stare.

He glances up at the sky, watching as the comet continues along its path, gently moving among the stars. The comet splits, turning into two, and slowly falls, burning as it enters the Earth’s atmosphere.

(Somewhere, far away, a bell tolls.)

—

_ The number that you have called is out of service at this time.  _

Hamid frowns as he pulls the phone away from his ear. Maybe Zolf had written it down wrong? They were already trapped in each other’s dreams, anyway. It’s not like a fake number would keep Hamid away from him. 

He pockets the phone and pushes off of the pillar as the cool night air blows against him. It’s a gorgeous night, perfectly clear as he heads down the road.

The next time they switch, Hamid will leave a note for Zolf, will maybe tell him how he feels. He owes it to him, after all. And maybe... Maybe Zolf will say the same? 

He can hope, at least. 

(Hamid doesn’t know it now, but there won’t be a next time. The days will stretch, time will move on, and he’ll start forgetting. Forget the sleepy little town, forget the man that he was in love with, forget that any of this ever happened. It will become nothing more than… hazy dreams.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :)
> 
> (also i would like to remind everyone *cough* abbegail that this fic has a happy ending i promise)


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i wrote a solid 30% of this while in the midst of a panic attack it’s fine i’m fine

_Four months later_

  * •



Maps and drawings of different buildings and natural rock features paper the walls of Hamid’s flat, covering nearly every available surface save for the windows. Each drawing is at least slightly different; some focus on different buildings - there’s a church steeple that can be found in many of the drawings, always from different angles. The desk is littered with markers and sheets, strewn haphazardly across the dark wood.

Hamid’s doodling again. He does this a lot in his free time, nowadays - and, since it’s the winter holidays, that means he has a lot. It’s all something that’s been on his mind for a while, some weird fixation he has for this town he can barely remember. He remembers it being Zolf’s town, and he wants to find Zolf again, figure out why the switches stopped, figure out why his phone has been disconnected. But he can’t even recall the name of the town, just some information about the layout and geography that he hopes will help as he tries to find it.

He remembers it being in the south, somewhere near Bristol, but that’s the extent of it. 

He remembers the school; running there with Sasha and Brock for a picnic near the hill, laying on the grass in the sun as the kids played on the playground. He remembers the town square, Feryn playfully wrestling with him as they headed over to the mines. The lake in the middle of the town, that they would look over while they sat up on the ridge at golden hour. 

_Golden hour_. 

There was some sort of significance there, Hamid _knew_ there was, but it was like it was locked away in his head, inaccessible. He’d tried to remember what it meant, tried to think what Feryn had told him about it, but it was like static had covered everything. It was more than a _little_ frustrating. 

This is why he was drawing the town from all different angles, trying to recreate the best picture from his memory as he could, in hopes that _someone_ would recognize it and tell him where he could start looking. 

There’s a gentle knock on his door and Hamid pauses, setting the pencil down and calling out a, “Come in!” as he continues surveying the other drawings on the wall. He’s close, he knows. All he needs to do is put everything together and then he can leave, can go search for Zolf and this mysterious town and figure out what the hell

happened. 

“Hamid?” he hears the door creak open, and turns. Liliana and Gideon are standing there in the doorway, looking around at all the photos on the wall with confusion and concern warring on their faces. Hamid gets up and throws his arms around both of them, feeling them slightly relax. 

“When did you get back from your trip abroad?” he asks, squeezing them tightly. 

“Just this morning. Stopped by Liliana’s place to grab some things and feed Hubert, then came over here,” Gideon says, clapping Hamid on the back. “Missed you, mate.”

He lets them go and retreats back to his desk chair to sit, pulling one knee up and wrapping his arm around it.

“So, how was the trip?” he asks, grinning at the two of them. Liliana smiles back and sits on the couch, cheeks red. 

“It was lovely!” she says, and then glances up at Gideon.

“Hamid, we have something we want to tell you,” Gideon says, sitting down on the same couch as Liliana and giving him a nervous look. Hamid glances between the two, taking in Liliana’s nervous flush and Gideon’s weak smile. 

“Oh! Oh. Oh, my god, Lili, are you pregnant?” Hamid nearly yells, clapping his hands over his mouth. 

“What? No, absolutely not, that’s - no, Hamid, what the hell?” Liliana says in return, face scrunching up in disgust. Gideon looks equally horrified at her side, face gone white as a sheet. “Why is _that_ where - never mind, don’t want to know. No, Hamid, just. We’re… seeing each other.”

Hamid blinks at them both for a moment. “Uh… yes? I already know that.”

Gideon and Liliana both look surprised - well, Gideon more so than Liliana, who holds out a hand that Gideon slips a tenner into. 

“Told you he’d figured it out,” Liliana says, holding Gideon’s hand in her own. 

Hamid gives Gideon a faux-betrayed look. “Gideon, you both literally went on a three-week vacation together. I’m not _stupid_.”

Gideon opens his mouth and Hamid just holds up a hand. “Low-hanging fruit, Gideon, please,” and Gideon grins over at him, while Hamid rolls his eyes fondly. 

They keep chatting, talking about their trip to Vienna and how beautiful everything was, and throughout all of it Gideon is looking at Liliana like she hung the moon and the stars.

He’s excited for his friends; really, he is. They seem so happy, even if it is quite ironic that Gideon used to tease him for being into Liliana (he _wasn’t,_ thank you.) and now he’s the one who’s seeing her. 

He’s excited for his friends. That doesn’t mean his chest doesn’t twinge every time he sees them smile at each other, doesn’t mean he doesn’t think of Zolf and wish he could have that too. But he’s so _happy_ for them, and tells them so, even if he does stare down at the drawings after they leave the room as his hands shake.

_I have to find you._

—

Gideon and Liliana are almost disgustingly domestic, which would probably be an annoyance if Hamid wasn’t a romantic at heart. Still, it’s hard not to think about holding a hand in his own, being able to cuddle next to someone he loves, so Hamid keeps researching with a renewed vigor. He checks out encyclopedias from the library, looks through magazines and maps to see if there’s anywhere that matches this place, but can never find any clues. 

Gideon has all but moved out of the apartment a few weeks after they get back, so Hamid has a lot of time on his own to keep looking. University will be starting up again soon, and his free time will slowly be dwindling down when he has classes and assignments and a new student teaching position to fill, so he works harder, trying to chip away at this mystery. He wants to find Zolf, wants to be able to _talk_ to him, just once, even, and tell him that he loves him. 

You could call him obsessed, but Hamid likes to think he’s dedicated. 

He’s surprised a few days before classes start by the buzzing sound coming from the doorbell. He glances at the video screen next to the doorbell and grins widely.

“Saira? Aziza?” Hamid exclaims, seeing his two older sisters standing down below his flat and waving at the camera. “Come up, come up, please!” 

He can see them both giggle as the door unlocks, and they head over to the lift to get to his and Gideon’s floor. There’s a knock at the door moments later and Hamid throws it open, grinning up at the both of them. 

“Hamid!” they exclaim in tandem, and pull him into a tight hug. He squeezes back with all he’s got, laughing into their shoulders. It’s been a few months since he’s been able to see either of them, after electing to stay at his flat instead of heading home for the holidays. 

“What are you two doing here?” he asks, letting go of them but reaching down to hold their hands. Saira laughs, reaching out to poke him in the cheek. Hamid bats her hand away, giggling. 

“Don’t you pay attention? Aziza’s company is here for a show starting next week. She wanted to come early and surprise you, and I had some vacation time left that Mr. Apophis told me to use up, so we decided to show up together.” 

“Really?” he asks, turning toward Aziza. She nods, grinning. “That’s wonderful! How are mum and dad? Saleh? The twins?”

Aziza is the one to respond this time. “The twins are _terrors._ Mother told me that they broke the expensive Ming vase in the hallway while playing around, and apparently Ishaak has broken his arm _again._ He won’t tell anyone who did it, so it was probably an accident involving Ismail.”

“Saleh is doing well,” Saira chimes in. “He’s in rehab again, but it really feels like it’s taking this time. I think it’s going to work out for him. Honestly.”

“That’s _wonderful!”_ Hamid says, clapping. “I’ll have to send my love. And mum and dad?”

Aziza and Saira share a look, and Hamid’s stomach sinks. “The bank is doing well, so dad is doing fine. Mum is struggling, with Saleh in rehab again, but I think she’ll get used to it soon. Plus, the twins are going away to boarding school soon, so she’s trying to come to terms with the fact that the house will be quieter than normal. Dad is planning vacations for them all the time so that she doesn’t have to be in an empty house.”

Hamid looks down, guilty. “I should go visit.”

Aziza nods. “You should. And if you don’t, I’ll drag mum and dad here, and you know I will.”

Hamid shudders; he loves his parents, he does, but he always feels like he has to be the immaculate host when they come to visit. He’d much rather go to see them. Plus, then he can visit some of his childhood friends as well.

“Well?” Saira says. “Show us around! We haven’t been to visit since you’d moved out of your old place, we want to see the entire flat!”

Hamid graciously bows to the both of them as he affects a nasally real estate agent tone, escorting them around the apartment. Saira and Aziza seem to love it, chattering on about the furniture and the color scheme, both of which Hamid had input on, and he preens. 

He pauses in front of the door to his room, hand on the knob. “It’s, ah - it’s very messy, we can just skip it.”

“And miss teasing our _immaculate_ little brother? I think not,” Saira says. “I’m sure it’s not that bad, you always were incredibly organized.”

Hamid gives her a weak smile. “We’ll see.” He pushes the door open and lets them both go in front, lingering behind as they each let out a little gasp.

“What on earth are you _working_ on, Hamid?” Aziza asks, spinning slowly around the room as she takes in the drawings. She looks concerned and impressed as she pulls one of the drawings off of the desk to examine it more closely. “I knew you were good at drawing but this is _exceptional_.”

“Oh, just an interest of mine. It’s nothing special, really,” Hamid says, laughing to try to cover up the lie. “I find it relaxing.”

“It may have been a while, but I still know when you’re lying to us, Hamid,” Aziza says reproachfully, raising an eyebrow at him. “What is this for?”

“It’s… a weird story?” Hamid says, speaking slowly as he tries to figure out what his sisters will actually believe. They’ve always given him the benefit of the doubt before, but that wasn’t about switching bodies with a stranger in a random British town. And he’s not going to be able to brush this off, either. He takes a deep breath. 

“I met someone.. online? A few months ago. Well, nearly a year, now. They were - _he_ , uh, lives somewhere in the south, and I lost contact with him. But I miss him, a lot, and I want to tell him - well, a lot of things, but mainly that I - I just, um.

“I really care about him,” he says quietly, looking up from his interlocked hands and seeing both of his sisters standing there with twin looks of sympathy on their faces. 

“Oh, _Hamid_ ,” Saira says quietly, leaning in to give him a hug. Aziza joins her and Hamid sniffles, wrapping his own arms around his sisters. He wipes at his eyes as they pull back, glancing at the drawings on the wall.

“These are - I dunno, a way to try and find him again? I don’t, um. Don’t remember where he said he was from, really. I just know it was near Bristol, but it’s such a small town, I don’t know how I’ll find it again.” He grabs the largest drawing from the pile, a panoramic view of everything he remembers, and smiles down at it. “Maybe I can find _him,_ though.”

Saira and Aziza are quiet for a moment, and then Aziza wraps her arm around his shoulders. “You love him, don’t you?” she says, a soft and sad smile on her face. 

Hamid can feel the tears slip down his cheeks as he nods. “I never got to tell him.”

“Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” Saira says, locking eyes with Aziza, who nods and stands up, pulling Hamid with her.

“Let’s go, then!” Aziza says, joining her elbow with Hamid’s, while Saira does the same on the other side, and together they start to march Hamid out of the apartment. “Let’s find him!”

“Wait, wait wait wait - I need the drawings, and my _keys_ , and my wallet, and a change of clothes!” Hamid exclaims, digging his heels in. Saira and Aziza share a glance over the top of his head and, really, it’s unfair that they’re taller than him.

“Fine,” Saira says, and lets him go. “Get a bag together, and grab everything you need. We have a train to catch!”

—

They don’t really know exactly where to go, but Saira and Aziza’s enthusiasm doesn’t dim as Hamid scrutinizes a map of Britain, trying to decide which station to go to that will get them closest to where they need to be. Neither of them have a car, so they’re either going to need to prepare for a lot of walking or get cabs to drive them around. 

After some discussion, they decide to get on at Paddington and disembark at Bristol Temple Meads. They can catch a cab from there and drive around, pop into some shops to see if anyone can help as they make their way southwest along the coast.

Aziza sleeps on the train, head lolling to the side to rest on Hamid’s shoulder. Across the aisle from them, Saira is dozing as well, curled up in her seat and leaning against the window. Hamid watches the countryside pass as the train slowly chugs along, waiting as the morning glow slowly turns to afternoon. He buys snacks for all of them from the trolley, stashing them away in his bag for when they inevitably get hungry later on. 

His stomach won’t stop turning, and it’s not the movement of the train, either. It’s a particularly unfun mix of stress and worry, and Hamid keeps trying to pull it back. It’s only been four months since he last heard from Zolf, and he still doesn’t know _why_ he cut all contact with Hamid. It might have been a wrong number, but that doesn’t explain why the switches stopped. He’s trying to remain positive, either way. Zolf… doesn’t have to return his feelings, or anything, Hamid just wants him to _know_ , and to know why Zolf left him stranded, without any contact.

He’d really thought they were at the very least friends, but maybe Zolf didn’t feel the same. Maybe he just… felt saddled with Hamid, and once the switches stopped, moved on. 

These thoughts aren’t helping anyone; Hamid shakes his head and tries not to think about it. Worrying before he even gets to talk to Zolf just means he’ll worry twice, and maybe it was just an innocent loss of communication, maybe Zolf misses him as much as Hamid does.

The train ride lasts for about two hours, and Hamid gently wakes Saira and Aziza up as it pulls into the station. 

They catch a cab outside, Hamid asking the driver to go along the coast until they reach a smaller town. She seems confused and more than a little dubious, until Saira leans in with a winning smile (and two crisp £50 notes) and the driver shrugs and heads off down the coast, making light conversation with all of them along the way. 

Their first stop is a small beach town, a one-street town with a single spotlight. Hamid thanks the driver, who agrees to wait outside while they duck inside a few shops, 

“Good morning, sir!” Hamid says cheerily, heading up to the counter of a small bakery. “I had a few questions if you don’t mind?” 

The man behind the counter gives Hamid a slightly confused look, but nods. “Sure, how can I help?” 

He pulls out the panoramic map from

his rucksack and lays it out on the counter, flattening it out. “Do you have any idea where this is? I know this is, well, a little weird, but we’re trying to find this little town.” 

The man at the counter peers over the map, rubbing at his forehead. “Might recognize that lake, there, but no names are coming to mind. Doesn’t look familiar to me otherwise, sorry.”

Hamid frowns, looking down at the map as well. “Nothing does?” he asks, and he must sound as forlorn as he feels, considering the man gives him a sympathetic smile. 

“We’ve a lot of travelers around these parts, I’m sure you’ll find someone who can point you in the right direction.” 

“Thank you, sir,” Hamid says, and tucks the map back into his bag. Aziza and Saira are sitting outside on a bench waiting patiently for him, chatting about Aziza’s upcoming show, though they quiet down and look at Hamid expectantly. He shakes his head and they wilt, but Aziza pops back up first, a determined look on her face.

“Maybe we’ll have luck with the next one, Hamid,” Aziza says, resting a comforting hand on his shoulder. “Buck up, we’ll get it figured out.”

—

_Luck doesn’t seem to be on their side today_ , Hamid thinks sadly as they hit another dead end. No one has recognized the picture so far, and with each confused shake of the head or quiet ‘sorry, lad’, his heart and hopes begin to sink a little bit lower. 

They’ve been going into shops along the main street of the town they’re in, having done this already in a few others, and it’s becoming a race against the clock as afternoon turns to early evening. Soon, they’ll have to find someplace to settle up for the night, or catch a train back to London. 

“Your classes don’t start for a few days, yes?” Aziza asks, and Hamid nods. “Then we’re staying. Until we find him.”

Hamid’s throat feels tight as Saira agrees, hand holding Hamid’s. He leans in and gives both of his sisters a big hug. 

“Thanks,” he mumbles, squeezing them tightly. They hug him back, and then they continue on their way down the road. 

They go into a few more shops along the way, until Saira’s stomach rumbles and she drags them into a nearby café. 

Hamid collapses into a booth with Saira next to him as Aziza sits across from them, picking up the menu and scanning through the options.

“Can I get you anything else to drink, loves?” a waitress, who’s name tag says Cleo, asks, coming over to their table. She has a lovely smile, and sets down glasses of cold water for all of them. Hamid and Saira ask for coffee, Aziza asks for a hot chocolate, and the waitress winks at them as she heads off, leaving the list of specials on the table for them to glance through. 

In the end, they all order something different and share their meals. The conversation turns from Zolf to Hamid’s classes to Aziza’s show to Saira’s government work to how the twins are preparing for boarding school, before turning back to Zolf.

“I can’t believe you never told us about him, Hamid,” Aziza says reproachfully. “It’s been a year, I didn’t realize you could keep secrets this long.”

“I - it - I didn’t want to say anything, I wasn’t sure about any of it anyway, kind of thought it was all a dream for a while!” Hamid squeaks out, sinking down into his seat. 

“Well, we’ll have to find him, and then me and Aziza can make sure he’s good to you. I don’t appreciate that he cut contact,” Saira says, slipping another piece of the pork and beans pie she ordered into her mouth. 

“It - it may have been unintentional, I’m not sure,” Hamid says. “I still want to find him. He’s… he’s sweet, and kind.”

“I’m sure he’ll pass muster,” Saira responds. “But we are going to interrogate him first.”

“Maybe wait until after I tell him that I love him?” Hamid says, smiling weakly. Saira and Aziza share a look, which has been happening way too much on this little trip already, and in perfect synchronicity, chime in with a, “No promises!”

Hamid groans, head dropping into his hands. Aziza and Saira don’t even have a speck of regret on their faces, happily eating the rest of their and Hamid’s food. He sighs and leans back in his chair, looking up at the ceiling of the café.

“I just… don’t know what else to do,” Hamid says, pulling the sketch out of his bag. “We’ve been to so many towns, and no one seems to recognize this. What if - what if it was all fake? What if it was just a dream?” It isn’t something he’s been wanting to say out loud, as though putting it into the universe will make it come true. The only things that make him remember that he isn’t crazy are the barely-there memories of Zolf’s life and the notes that he left Hamid, tucked into a special folder on his phone. He - he couldn’t have made all of it up, he just _couldn’t have,_ and maybe this would be his chance to finally find him again.

He lays the drawing down on the table. “I just… have no clue where it is, or if he’s even still _there,_ I -“ _have to find him_ , he thinks, and Saira and Aziza each give him a small grin. 

“We will,” Saira promises, pulling Hamid in for a quick squeeze.

He really doesn’t deserve them, but he’s so glad they’re here for him. 

“Oh, is that a sketch of Countisbury?” the waitress says, leaning over the table and examining the map. Hamid resists the urge to put it away and pastes on a friendly-enough smile. “My wife grew up there. That’s a gorgeous map, she’ll love to see it!” 

Hamid’s mouth nearly drops open as the waitress calls for her wife, a woman named Betty, to come over to their table. 

“See, my love?” Cleo says, gesturing to the map. “Isn’t it incredible?”

Betty’s hands fly to her mouth as she glances over the page. “Oh my word,” she says, reaching out a hand to brush against the paper. “It’s the old church, and the schoolhouse. And the docks down by the water… the town square, everything is here.

“Did you draw this?” she asks, turning to Hamid, smiling. “It’s amazing.”

He clears his throat, awkward all of a sudden. “Y - yes, I did, thank you. We’re looking for it, I’m trying to find an old friend, and this is everything I remember about the town. Cleo said you grew up there?” 

Betty nods. “She’s right. It’s been a long time since I’ve visited Countisbury. Hard to do, now.”

“Wait… Countisbury?” Aziza asks, sharing a shocked looked with Saira. “Are you sure?”

“Grew up there, love,” Betty said. “I’d know that lake anywhere.” She smiles, a little fond, a little sad. “Miss it, sometimes.”

“Could you take us there? Or let us know where it is?” Hamid asks, nearly rising out of his seat with excitement. Finally, he could find _Zolf,_ he could tell him how he felt, this could finally have a happy ending, maybe if he hopes hard enough - 

“Oh, love,” Betty says, cutting through his thoughts and giving him a sad look. “We can take you there if you want, but there isn’t much to see.”

“Countisbury. The _comet,”_ Saira says, at the same time Aziza covers her mouth with a hand. 

“Oh,” she breathes, looking stricken.

“Can someone please explain what’s _going on here_?” Hamid exclaims, looking around at the four of them. Aziza and Saira look shell-shocked, gazing over at him with their mouths open, while Cleo and Betty have nothing but pity and sympathy in their eyes. 

“Hamid, Countisbury was...” Aziza starts, sharing a look with Saira. 

“What?” Hamid whispers, as a single tear falls down his cheek.

—

The car ride is long, and silent. Hamid is anxious in the backseat, drumming his fingers along the car’s armrest as his leg shakes. Saira reaches over and gently rests her hand on his, giving him a sympathetic smile. Cleo is the one driving them; Betty had given her a kiss on the cheek back at the café before declining to come with them. Too many painful memories, she’d said. 

The sun is setting on the horizon when Cleo finally pulls into an abandoned parking lot; Hamid glances off to the side and sees the schoolhouse standing there, taken over by nature as moss and ivy peek through the cracks in the stone. He’s out of the car the second Cleo throws it into park, hearing her yell a, “Be careful!” after him. 

Hamid is running faster than he ever has before, shouting for Aziza and Saira to hurry up as his feet pound against the ground. He sees the mountain ridge up ahead and tries to go faster, begging, praying to whatever god that existed that Zolf was fine, that this was all a - a horrible nightmare, that Betty had been wrong about the location, that everything was okay, that the _one_ person Hamid has never been able to completely forget and never truly remember wasn’t long dead, wasn’t torn away from him in a devastating meteor shower that decimated the entire town -

He stops short at the edge of the town, nearly falling to his knees as he sees that Betty was right. 

It’s… gone. Everything is destroyed, trees blackened and sooty among the wreckage of a thousand homes, strewn about the land and cordoned off with long-since forgotten about caution tape. Hamid takes a step forward and stops, wary of where the ground would drop away under his feet. The schoolyard is a wasteland, desks and chairs strewn about the lawn. It’s the only part of the town that isn’t completely destroyed, the only part of town that is still standing. 

The beach is covered in debris, wood and stone covering it to make it look almost black; the town square is nearly indistinguishable, buildings and supports smashed to smithereens as a lone, torn flag blows gently in the wind. It looks like a war zone, completely demolished and being retaken by nature. And, still, the lake stands in the middle of the town.

“Zolf?” he whispers, and takes an unconscious step forward, tear slipping down his face as he gazes out over the destruction. It’s an eerie sort of peace, Hamid realizes, as a flock of birds fly above. It’s the quiet of tragedy, of absolute desolation, of years gone. 

Zolf - if Zolf was here, when this happened, there’s no way he survived it, and it’s _that_ thought that breaks Hamid. He falls to his knees in the dirt, tears streaming from his eyes as he screams incoherently, fists clenching and unclenching ineffectually. Saira and Aziza are calling his name from far away as grief streams out of him. 

He feels both their arms wrap around him as he screams, begging for it to be wrong, begging someone to tell him _he_ was wrong, this wasn’t the place he knew, it had to be somewhere else, Zolf has to still be - he _has_ to be able to talk to him, this can’t be how their story ends…

His sisters hold him as he rails against the universe, fists clenched on the dirt as his grief fills the quiet of the air around him, and he’s hiccoughing and nauseous and if he thinks, hopes _hard enough_ maybe it won’t be true, and Zolf will still be here.

And then it stops, and he’s just kneeling in the dirt, elbows and arms and knees and forehead covered in it, and he doesn’t even care, because Zolf is gone, and somehow he died three years ago and Hamid fell in love with a ghost.

It’s over, he realizes, and it comes with a sense of calm. He gently untangles himself from Saira and Aziza’s grip, only just realizing now that they’ve been whispering words of comfort to him while he broke down. He stands on the edge of the town and sniffles, again, feeling the way his heart is cracked, straight down the middle. 

“Hamid, this - you have to be remembering wrong, this can’t be the place,” Saira finally says, looking ahead at the completely destroyed shell of the town. “This - this isn’t _possible.”_

Hamid turns to look at her, finally, and tries to speak, voice coming out hoarse and quiet. “No, he - he left me messages, he _talked_ to me,” Hamid says, pulling out his phone and pressing the calendar app, muttering ‘please’ over and over and over again until it barely means anything, until it’s just a quiet hum. The notes are all there and he pulls one up, desperate to prove that this was _real_ , that Zolf _existed_ , that this couldn’t all be a dream, couldn’t just be something that he made up inside his head. 

And then, it all starts disappearing before his eyes. The letters shift and move, turning to binary and unreadable code before beginning to delete themselves. 

“No, no no no _no_ ,” Hamid says, desperately scrolling through his notes, looking for any sign of Zolf’s writing, Zolf’s messages to him. Each day, every _single_ day that they switched, has been completely wiped away, even the extra notes they’d shared over the course of a few switches. It’s all - all _gone,_ and Hamid feels the phone slip from his fingers and crash into the dirt as he too falls to his knees, staring blankly ahead.

“They’re disappearing,” he murmurs, before falling into all fours and letting his tears drip into the dirt.

—

The library is dark, when they arrive. Cleo had been kind enough to drive them, dropping them off with an offer to come back to the restaurant and stay with herself and Betty for the night. Hamid is barely moving, following along soundlessly behind Aziza and Saira as they keep casting him worried looks and muttering between themselves. 

Hamid is sure it’s about him.

Hamid is sure he doesn’t care. 

There’s no one else there, thankfully, as Cleo lets them in, pushing the door open and giving Hamid a quick hug. 

“I’ll wait outside, for you all?” she says, looking between the three of them. Aziza nods with a quick ‘thank you’ and ushers Hamid inside. 

The door shuts behind them and they’re left in darkness; Saira reaches out and flicks on the lights, which blink rapidly and then shower the room in a dim orange glow. They wordlessly decide to split up, Saira looking through old news articles and Aziza looking through history books, while Hamid gets on the computer and starts to search for any sort of information on Countisbury. Hamid… almost doesn’t want to find anything, doesn’t want to have to face the fact that it’s true.

Saira is the first person to find something; it’s an old newspaper piece covering the tragedy, from some local paper.

“The comet struck Countisbury three years ago,” Saira says, scanning the news article. “No one thought the comet would split. It seems like it was a freak accident.” She flips the page and blanches. “Over 500 people died that night. Everyone was gathered in the square for the town festival, no one had any time to get out.” 

Hamid sees another news article and pulls it toward himself, reading it aloud. “Seeing the comet was supposed to be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, as it passed above Earth’s atmosphere three years ago at the peak of the autumn festival of the small town of Countisbury. A single piece of the comet fractured off, and hurtled down toward the Earth, burning up as it entered the atmosphere and breaking into smaller pieces. It struck the town right after the sun had set. It was pure destruction.”

He stops reading, pushing the newspaper away and digging the heels of his palms into his eyes. He felt sick, lost. The comet had hit three years ago, how was he even _talking_ to Zolf, much less walking around the town, four months ago? All of the memories are becoming more hazy, but Zolf’s face, the town square, Feryn, Sasha, Brock… they’re all burned into his skull, it can’t have only been a dream. It _can’t_ be.

“Hamid…” Aziza’s voice cuts through his thoughts. Her face is pale as she walks back to the table, looking through the book in her hand. She hands it over to Hamid and he can read the cover: _In Memoriam: The Town of Countisbury_. His heart sinks in his chest and he takes it with shaking hands, flipping the book open to see names and photos listed, of all those who lost their lives that night.

He flips open the book and turns almost to the end, looking desperately for the ‘S’ names as his eyes flick through the photos, begging a god that he doesn’t believe in to have protected the people he cares about. 

He sees two names he recognizes, first, and they’re not the names he’s looking for but he starts to cry anyway. 

_Sasha Rackett. Brock Rackett._

God, Sasha, no, not _her_ , not when she was already trying to escape. Not Brock, please - He blinks, and tears run down his cheek as he turns the page again with a shaking hand, terrified of what he’ll see on the next page.

And then, in stark black ink, he sees their names. 

_Feryn Smith._

God, no - 

_Zolf Smith._

The entire world freezes as Hamid stares at his name. 

_No. No, no no no no no, no anything but this,_ **_please_ ** _no -_

A teardrop falls onto the page as Hamid takes a shuddering breath. His hand shakes when he reaches out and touches the picture next to Zolf’s name, looking younger than he had the last time Hamid had seen him, a bit less worn out, a bit more of a smile. 

“Hamid, is that _him?”_ Aziza asks, and the worry in her voice comes through loud and clear. “It can’t be, you have to be mistaken. The comet hit three _years_ ago.”

“Four months ago, he convinced me to go on a date with Liliana,” Hamid says softly. “He - he bought me paracetamol when my knee hurt, he told off Gideon, he did _everything_ , I spoke to him _four months ago_ , this can’t be happening.”

Saira leans into him, wrapping an arm around his shoulders. “How can it be? If this is correct, he died three years ago, Hamid.”

Hamid shakes his head, heart slowly falling to pieces as he stares down at Zolf’s picture on the page. “The last time we spoke, the last time I had a note from him, he mentioned being able to watch the comet, I didn’t pay attention, I -“ he cuts himself off as his words feel as though they’ve been swallowed, and he breathes heavily as he looks up from the book, staring blankly ahead of himself.

“I - what was I-“ Hamid says, squeezing his eyes shut as his head starts to throb, an ache that comes out of nowhere, and Aziza and Saira reach out to him as he curls up in the chair, arms wrapping over his head as he tries not to scream.

 _You’re dreaming_ , Hamid hears, an echo from a forgotten place, a voice he doesn’t remember, and as he looks up at the mirror in front of him, he hears it again. 

_Aren’t you?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the rqdbfc: connor is a murderer they killed [redacted]  
> me, in the corner: :) 
> 
> (abbegail you can murder me now)
> 
> (also did anyone catch how the exhibit last time was called ‘reflections’ :D)
> 
> not sure when i’ll update next but it will probably be sooner rather than later!


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i added like 300 words just to hit 4k

Saira and Aziza sit in the living room, both on separate couches, lit only by the dying candlelight. Betty and Cleo had been kind enough to offer all three of them their spare rooms, saying that there was no way they would let them go back to London or find an inn at this late an hour. Aziza and Saira had gratefully taken them up on it, while Hamid trailed along behind them, eyes red and puffy and looking completely lost with his hands shoved into his pockets. 

They’d been able to take some books and maps from the library with Cleo’s permission, promising to return them tomorrow. Now, Hamid is sitting in their kitchen surrounded by books, poring over them. The faint sound of a pen scritching on paper will intermittently reach Saira and Aziza as they sit there, trading worries glances. 

“Do you believe him?” Aziza asks, keeping her voice low as she cranes her neck to make sure Hamid can’t hear her. “That this all… actually happened?”

Saira shrugs, slowly. “I want to, because it’s Hamid, but. It’s a little incredulous, yeah? He’s been talking to a ghost for a year, it would seem.”

“More than a little,” Aziza agrees. “But the way he reacted… whatever really happened, Hamid obviously cares for this person.”

Saira hums, and they slip into silence again, save for the odd page-turning from the kitchen. The clock ticks on the wall, drawing them farther into the night, and still Hamid sits in the kitchen.

“He has been different, recently, have you noticed?” Saira says, with a faint smile on her face. “Happier. He was always so lonely in London, even with Gideon and Liliana there.”

“Really?” Aziza asks. “I thought he loved it there.”

Saira shakes her head. “It’s hard being away from family, you know. You weren’t there when he came back to visit last summer, he was… I don’t know. I thought he must have found someone he loved in London, and wasn’t saying anything about it. He was - you know how he gets? Sometimes? Stressed out and closed off?” She waits for Aziza to nod before continuing. “He seemed… looser, almost. More free, more open. It was nice.”

“And you think - it was him that did this? Who helped him?” 

Saira shrugs again. “I’m not sure. It’s a strange circumstance, obviously. But I don’t think Hamid is lying.” She smiles, looking up at Aziza. “Maybe there is some magic in the world after all.”

—

Hamid can’t stop staring at the journaling app on his phone, where it says ‘no entries’, blinking back at him. He - yesterday, he had every single note that he had ever left, saved there, and now, they were all gone. As though they had never been there in the first place, as though they were never his to begin with, and Hamid really thought he was out of tears but he can’t stop new ones from falling down his face as he realizes that this, all this, is over now. 

It must have been a dream. It had to have been, because things like this don’t happen in real life, people don’t switch bodies, and especially not with people who died three years ago. Hamid must have seen the news report of the comet destroying the town and just… dreamt about it. Imagined the life of someone in the town, inserted himself into the story. It has to be a dream.

But.

And that’s the kicker, isn’t it? if it wasn’t… if Hamid really had been speaking to him, what was it? A ghost? An - an echo? A memory? Why… why  _ him _ , why -

He - he was - Hamid’s heart beats once, twice, as he looks up, unseeing.

_ What - what was his name?  _

He hears a knock on the wall and glances over, seeing Saira standing there with a soft smile on her face. 

“You should go to bed, Hamid,” she says. “It’s late.”

He gives her a weak smile in return, one that he’s sure barely even reaches his eyes if at all, before turning back to the papers splayed out in front of him. There has to be a clue here, somewhere, there just absolutely has to be, even if he isn’t sure what he’s looking for, he’ll find something that can help. 

Saira comes and sits next to him while he’s flipping through one of the books; she’s quiet, now, kicking her legs up on the other chair, and Hamid can feel her eyes on him as he reads through another story of the tragedy. 

There’s no new details,  _ nothing _ , and Hamid didn’t know what he was expecting to find, but the fact that there’s just nothing there, nothing he can  _ use _ , makes the hole in his chest grow bigger. He shoves the book aside, swearing under his breath, and through it all Saira sits there, resting a comforting hand on his arm as Hamid tries not to completely break down.

He breathes, in and out, slowly, because that’s really all he can do, and inclines his head slightly toward his sister.

“Thank you, really,” Hamid says, quietly, and he just knows that Saira can see the tear tracks on his cheeks reflected in the candlelight. He wipes them away and sniffs, turning away from Saira. 

“I’m so sorry, Hamid,” Saira says, pulling her brother into a hug. He goes willingly, trembling, as her arms wrap around him and her hand strokes along his back. “I’m not going to pretend I know exactly what you’re going through, but I know how much it hurts to lose someone.”

Hamid can't stifle the sob that builds in his throat as his heart pounds again. The devastation of Countisbury, the absolute broken desolation, is burned behind his eyelids, forever. He ran around those courtyards, the school. The mines. Zolf’s home, the Gussett’s, it was always so vibrant and full of life, so  _ beautiful _ , even if it had taken Hamid too long to truly appreciate it.

Hamid pulls his sleeves up, feeling confined, and the pendant on his wrist jingles. Saira reaches out to touch it, fingers brushing against the charm. “Where’d you get this? I’ve never seen it before.”

“Oh, this?” he stares down at the pendant. “I - I don’t remember, actually. It must have been a gift from someone…” he laughs, but it’s hollow. “Isn’t that embarrassing? Someone gave me this beautiful gift and I can’t even remember who it was.”

“It’s beautiful,” Saira says, and the charm glints in the candlelight as she twists it back and forth. The small dolphin looks like it’s dancing between her fingers, metal catching the light and shadows in such a way that it almost seems alive.

“I don’t even wear it, usually. It just - felt like luck, today?” Hamid says, and it feels as unsure as it sounds, but he’d seen the bracelet and needed to put it on before they’d left that morning. It grates at him, not being able to remember where it’s from, and he can feel a headache building behind his eyes as he tries to remember.

“Do you know what dolphins represent?” Saira asks, drawing Hamid’s attention back to her. “Harmony, balance. Peace. Maybe - maybe you did wear it for a reason, Hamid.”

There’s nothing he can say to that, he realizes, so he just tucks himself closer into her side as she gently strokes his hair. It’s nice, but there’s still a gaping maw in his chest the size of the ocean and he doesn’t know how he’s supposed to move forward from this, now. 

Memories are straining against each other in his head, fighting as he tries to reconcile everything. If everything was becoming hazy before, that’s nothing like how spotty everything is now. It terrifies him, honestly; how long until all of the memories are gone, how long until he forgets what the town looked like, walking through the trees in the summer, the wind blowing through the branches? Until he forgets - forgets -

“Do you think I’m crazy, Saira?” Hamid asks, and there’s something broken in his voice, as much as he tries to keep it locked away. His sister doesn’t hesitate to reach out to him and turn him to face her, and the look of absolute, fierce love and care on her face almost makes him start crying again. 

“Oh, Hamid, no,” she says, hands gentle where they rest on his shoulders. “You’re not. I promise. You have to hold onto that.” 

They sit there for a moment more, Hamid feeling buffeted by unseen winds as he tries to stay tightly coiled, tries not to break any further than he already has. Saira is a comforting presence at his side, warm and solid as he rests against her.

Eventually, the moment ends, as all must, and Saira stands up, pressing a gentle kiss to Hamid’s forehead as she does. He does his best to lean into it, but his entire body just feels weak and tired. 

“Please try and get some sleep?” Saira says as she leaves, lingering in the doorway to give Hamid a pleading expression. He nods, tucking the pendant back under his shirt sleeves, and she walks away. 

He will get some sleep, eventually. Right now, he’s too afraid of what he might dream.

—

_ Hamid.  _

_ Hamid, don’t you remember? My name is - _

Hamid’s eyes open and he blinks, unseeing, at the wall next to his head. He sits up, rolling his shoulders, as a deep ache sets in.

“Did I… fall asleep?” he mutters, glancing down at the maps strewn about the table. There’s a circle on one of the maps of Countisbury, surrounded with question marks. It’s slightly off to the side, away, Hamid thinks, from where most of the damage was. He sees his own handwriting next to it, saying ‘Around here!’ but doesn’t recall writing that down. 

The pendant on his wrist feels colder than normal, and he holds it up, staring down at it. He doesn’t… remember where he got it, or when, but he’s had it for at least three or four years by this point. Ever since he’d come to London for uni. The pendant brushes against the inside of his wrist and he glances back at the map, trying to remember,  _ begging  _ -

He knows what he has to do.

—

“Aziza. Aziza!” Aziza feels herself get shaken awake and shoots up out of bed, looking around blearily. There’s a single stream of sunlight shining into the room, cutting through the darkness.

“Wha - what?” she says, blinking until she’s able to focus on Saira’s face. Saira looks a mix of panicked and annoyed, and Aziza groans. “What did Hamid do?”

“Hamid’s gone.” Saira explains, and Aziza throws the covers off of her as she turns to face Saira, cross-legged. “He left us a note saying he had to try one more thing, and for us to go back to London. He’ll meet us there.”

Aziza grabs the note from her sister and scans it quickly. 

_ Saira, Aziza, _

_ Thank you both so much for coming with me. I don’t know what I would have done without the two of you here.  _

_ Please don’t worry about me; I’m sorry I left, but I have to see one more thing before I can give up and let this go. Don’t be angry with Cleo for driving me. You both should go back to London; I’m not sure how long this will take or if it will even work, but I  _ **_have_ ** _ to try.  _

_ All my love,  _

_ Hamid _

“God, Hamid, what are you  _ doing _ ,” Aziza murmurs, looking down at the note. This isn’t atypical of her brother, running off to solve a problem on his own when there are people  _ right there _ offering help, but she wasn’t expecting him to do so when they’re fundamentally in the middle of nowhere. She glances up at Saira, who looks just as lost as she feels, and gives her sister a sympathetic smile. “We’ll wait here for a day and then head back to London. If Hamid isn’t back by then, we’ll have to trust that he can take care of himself.”

Saira looks at her, dubiously. “This is Hamid we’re talking about.”

Aziza nods. “Yes, well, we can’t go on after him, since we don’t know where he is, and he can be an impulsive idiot at times, so we’ll have to wait until he finds us. Here -“ she pulls out her phone and tosses it to Saira. “He answers me more often than he answers you or Saleh or the twins, even, nevermind mum and dad. Tell him if he isn’t back by tomorrow afternoon, we’re going to leave for London, and tell him how to get to the station from here.”

“Alright,” Saira says, fingers already tapping away at the keyboard. “Sent.” 

“What do you think he’s doing?” Aziza asks, casting her gaze skyward as she lays back down on the bed. “What else could he have to try?”

Saira shakes her head. “No idea. I went and looked at all of the books and maps to get an idea, and even asked Cleo about it, but there’s just… nothing. I think one of the maps is missing, so I hope Hamid took it so he can find his way? He’s hopeless with directions.”

Aziza rubs the bridge of her nose, sighing. “Well, there’s nothing we can do now. Once Hamid gets an idea in his head, he doesn’t let it go. We just have to wait and see if he shows up.”

“What do we do in the meantime?” Saira asks. 

“Well, it looks like it’s going to be a lovely day out, so we’re not just going to sit around here,” Aziza says, decisive. “C’mon. Let’s see if we can scrounge up some breakfast, and we’ll find some shops down the road. Whatever Hamid’s doing… I hope it works, and he comes back soon.”

—

The next morning, the moment Cleo had woken up, Hamid had asked her to drive him to the ritual site. Aziza and Saira had still been asleep, and Hamid had left a simple note letting them know where he would be before he left. They had… done so much for him already, they truly had, but this part he had to do on his own. The ride over had been awkward, tense. Cleo hadn’t known what to say and neither had Hamid. He had the map on his lap and on his phone, following along and waiting for Cleo to reach the spot closest to the shrine. It hadn’t taken them long, maybe a 10-minute drive from the house, before Hamid had announced that they were there and had moved to hop out of the car as it had crawled to a stop. 

Cleo hadn’t been all that willing to let Hamid out on the side of a random road in the English countryside, but he’d convinced her enough that she’d finally driven off.

Hamid had waited until the car had been out of sight before beginning to climb, straining against the rain.

He doesn’t know how long has passed since Cleo drove off, but he’s a bit frustrated that he hasn’t made more progress than this. The ridge is treacherous, in the rain. The leaves underfoot are slippery, and Hamid has to move carefully lest he fall down the slope and lose all the progress he’s gained. It’s hard work; he can feel the small cuts on his hands where he’s grabbed branches to keep himself steady, and his legs and arms are burning with the effort. The morning sun has just started to peek over the clouds as Hamid finally,  _ finally _ makes it to the top, standing on the edge of the ridge that himself and Feryn had sat on at dusk. There’s a strange sort of peace up here, and if Hamid closes his eyes, he can almost hear Feryn’s low rumble next to him, the sound of Sasha and Brock laughing.

_ The dawn has finally come. _

Hamid squints out over the trees, but none of it looks familiar to him anymore. He pulls out the map which, thankfully, hasn’t been damaged yet in the rain. He hunches over it, still trying to prevent the water from hitting it as best he can, and finds the spot he’d circled the night before. 

Shielding his eyes from the water, he looks out again, in the direction he’d written, and sees a small glade in the center of a copse of trees. 

“That’s it,” he murmurs, and tucks the map back into his backpack, pulling his hood tighter around his head. 

The trek down is just as nerve-wracking as the trek up. Hamid falls once, catching himself on a tree before he can slip down too far, and the rain only increases as he gets closer to the ground. It’s not too far away, if his memories are to be believed, and so he soldiers on, arms wrapping around himself as he tries to stay warm in the freezing cold rain. 

The sun peeks out over the clouds for a minute and Hamid squints as the rain lightens. He can see the shrine up ahead, just barely through the trees. He picks up his pace, stepping carefully even as the rain lets up and the sun shines through the canopy overhead.

The circle is still there, exactly where Hamid remembered it being, even if the rocks looked more worn, more moss-covered with no one left to take care of it. He stumbles over to the small stone shrine in the middle of the circle, somehow still standing and looking as untouched as it had the day that he had come here with Feryn to lay their gifts at the feet of the gods. 

Feryn’s gift, an ornately designed metal pendant warped into the shape of a goat, knocked over into its side. Years and years of broken gifts litter the ground, and Hamid kneels down carefully. 

And then he sees Zolf’s, a wooden carving of a dolphin. It matches the pendant on his wrist and Hamid can feel the tears forming behind his eyelids. He takes off the pendant, pressing a kiss to the dolphin charm, and gently puts it around the carved dolphin’s tail. 

“This is… a part of him,” he whispers, reaching out and gently cradling the wooden dolphin in his hand. It’s cool to the touch, rain-dampened and fragile in his palm. 

Feryn had always said that this place was special, that it was a place where reality was at its thinnest, and Hamid clings to that now, clings to the idea that maybe  _ something  _ can happen, that he can save Zolf and the entire town, that he can see Zolf for the first time, in his own body, and tell him how much he  _ means _ .

Because time… it doesn’t flow in a straight line. It ebbs and flows, and sometimes people get tangled up together and refuse to let go. 

And Hamid refuses to let go of Zolf. 

“Please,” Hamid whispers, praying to a god that he has never believed in, and begging them to let this work. “I just found him again, this can’t be how our story ends,  _ please.” _

The wooden dolphin stays cool to his touch and the two candles at the base of the shrine remain unlit. Hamid doesn’t know how long passes before his grip on the wooden dolphin lessens and he lets his hands fall to his lap. 

_ It’s not working _ .

Hamid cries. He cries for Zolf, for Feryn, for Sasha and Brock and everyone else they lost, for himself, for a dream that could never have become real, and he cradles the wooden dolphin close to his heart as he tries not to scream. 

He sets the dolphin back down and stands, tears leaving streaks of makeup down his face. “I’m so sorry,” he whispers, bowing his head slightly. 

He takes a step backward and his foot slips out from under him, unable to balance on the slippery moss.

He falls. The world  _ shifts _ . 

(Somewhere, a bell tolls.)

—

Time is laid out in front of him like a cord, bright red and twisting as Hamid watches the comet fall overhead. It trails a line of colors through the sky and moves, changing shape and disappearing before returning in a new position, and Hamid isn’t able to do anything but follow along with it as it carves a path through the darkness. And then the scene is changing, and he’s facing a bright white door in front of him. He pushes it open and -

“Mum?” he hears a young voice say, and he turns to see what can only be Feryn and Zolf as children sitting next to a woman in a hospital bed. The door is gone, and the vision is hazy around the edges as he watches. 

“It’ll be alright, loves,” she says, reaching out and stroking a shaking hand through Zolf’s hair. “I’ll be home in no time.”

And then the cord is pulled taut again, and Hamid’s soul feels a tug, and -

“Where’s dad going?” A younger Zolf asks, and Feryn pats him weakly on the shoulder. 

“Don’t worry about it, kid, he’s just going to check on Mum.”

Another tug, and a flash, and Hamid is standing in the rain at a funeral, tears pouring down Zolf and Feryn’s face as their father stands there, stonefaced but looking oh so broken in the eyes, and Hamid closes his own and -

“You can’t just leave us  _ alone _ , Dad, we can’t -“

“Take care of Zolf. I have work to do,” Hirald says, and Zolf is sliding down a wall and burying his head between his knees, hiding from the shouts coming from the kitchen.

“You never  _ listen _ , you -“ and there’s a shift, and Hamid tries to call Zolf’s name, tries to -

“I don’t want to do this anymore, Feryn,” Zolf says, standing on a mountain next to his brother and frowning as he looks out into the sunset, and he must be the same age now, must be the Zolf Hamid knows, and he reaches out and -

“I’m going to London,” Zolf tells Sasha, determination clear in his eyes as he starts to run down the stairs. “Don’t tell Feryn, just cover for me.”

“Zolf,  _ London _ , what? Wait, don’t -“ and then Sasha fades into the blackness as Hamid spins, weightless, and the cord pulls him along unerringly, barely touching memories before they’re whisked away again, and then - 

A tinny news report blares in his ear and he whirls around as much as he can. “The comet is coming tonight, and we hope every listener is ready to see the gorgeous lights in the sky.”

_ It’s tonight? _ is all Hamid has time to think before the house shifts and he’s in Zolf’s room, news still playing preternaturally loud in his head, and Zolf is there, and it’s the day he died, and Hamid can’t stop the tears from falling.

“Zolf, please,  _ please _ , you have to run, you have to get away, now,” Hamid is begging, crying as he watches Zolf put his prosthetic leg on. “The comet is coming, it’s going to  _ split _ , you have to convince everyone to leave -“

And then the vision is gone, sweeping Hamid away into the darkness as it gets replaced by a field, and Zolf is running, Hamid keeping pace as everyone around them screams, as he hears Feryn call Zolf’s name, as Sasha and Brock hold hands and race behind Zolf, terrified faces illuminated by the comet falling above them. Explosions sound all around them as the land is torn to shreds by the comet, and the onslaught is getting closer now, and there’s no more time, and Hamid can’t  _ do  _ anything, and -

“Zolf!  _ Zolf!”  _ Hamid screams, willing it to be enough,  _ begging _ for Zolf to hear him, and then the darkness swoops in again and he’s falling, spinning and twisting and completely disorientated, into the stars. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sad crimes sad times 
> 
> im so ridiculously proud of the weird flashback scene y’all don’t even know


	11. Chapter 11

Hamid wakes to the sound of an alarm buzzing with a gasp, eyes flying open as he sits up. He’s not in the shrine anymore, not laying on the cold and wet ground. 

It’s Zolf’s room. Somehow, he got back in Zolf’s body, and Countisbury is still here, it isn’t destroyed, and he can still _save everyone._ His arms both begin to shake as he looks around wildly, tossing the phone aside as he reaches, _strains_ for the prosthetic on the ground, and slips it on. It may have been four months, but it’s automatic as he glances around the room, holding back tears as he lays back down, burying his face into Zolf’s pillow and hugging it tightly. 

He doesn’t spend more than a moment there, however, because he’s got a town to save, and the only way he’s going to be able to evacuate everyone - he’ll need help. He has to find Brock and Sasha, has to convince them that he’s telling the truth, has to figure out how to get everyone out before the comet strikes. 

Feryn opens the door with a deep sigh and doesn’t even get to say anything before Hamid is turning and staring at him, scrambling over and wrapping his arms around him as he tries not to sob.

“Uh, morning?” Feryn says, arms coming up around him in a confused hug. “Zolf, what -“ He sounds protective, now, squeezing him a little too tightly, but Hamid doesn’t complain. “Did you have another nightmare?”

Hamid shakes his head where it’s buried in Feryn’s chest. “Just missed you.”

“It’s been a day, Zolf, you weren’t gone forever,” Feryn says, and Hamid can _hear_ the fond smile on his face. He sniffles, a bit, and if a few tears fall down his face, he doesn’t need to say anything about it. 

He lets go a moment later, awkwardly rubbing at his eyes and, thankfully, Feryn doesn’t say anything about it beyond giving him an encouraging smile. 

“Sorry, ah - it’s been a weird week?” he tries, and Feryn must accept it from the shrug he gives. 

“Just good to know I’m your favorite brother,” he tosses over his shoulder as he heads out the door. “I’m heading over to the festival, want to come with?” 

“You’re my only brother,” Hamid says, automatic, and Feryn winks at him. “And, no, I’ll meet you there in a bit, thanks. Need some… breakfast.”

“Whatever you say,” Feryn says, shutting the door behind him as he leaves. 

Hamid stands in the middle of his room and lets the tears finally flow, because this might be a dream, it might _all_ have been a dream, but he’ll be damned if he doesn’t do everything he can to protect the town. Time is… weird, after all, so maybe there's still hope. If there’s not, if he’s already… already _done_ this, somehow -

 _No time for that_ , he thinks, wiping absent-mindedly at his cheek as he gets ready for the day. 

The muffled sound of the radio creeps through Hamid’s ears as he opens the door; Feryn must have accidentally left it on before leaving, and as Hamid steps outside he catches the faint murmuring from the kitchen. 

_“- and all the residents must be excited to see the comet tonight, shining above Countisbury -“_

_“You’re absolutely right, Sandra, and what a gorgeous sight it’ll be too!”_

The comet’s tonight. Hamid has… significantly less time than he thought he did. He folds his arms as he stares at the radio, listening to the announcers prattle on about what a beautiful sight it will be. No one - no one has any idea what’s coming, no one but him. He… has to convince everyone to leave. 

Well. No use standing around now. He has a town to save. 

—

Hamid needs help. He can’t do it alone, there’s absolutely no _way_ he can do it alone, so he needs to find Sasha and Brock and get them to help him out. Somehow. He’ll have to find a way to convince them. He starts running toward the town square, where the autumn festival is being held. It’s slow going, with the prosthetic, but Hamid is moving as quickly as he can without being at risk of falling. 

They’ll either be there, helping, or he can maybe find Mr. Gusset and ask where they are, or maybe Feryn knows. It’s the best place to start, regardless, and he doesn’t have time to waste. He’s nearly to the square when he catches a glimpse of black hair out of the corner of his eye and turns, spotting Sasha helping to hang up decorations on the outskirts of the square with Brock. 

“Sasha!” Hamid yells, running over to her and Brock and pulling them into a tight hug just as he did with Feryn. He feels Sasha tense, and he knows she hates hugs, hates touch when she isn’t the one to initiate it, and backs off quickly, but he couldn’t _not_ reach out and hold them close to him for a moment.

“You’re acting _weird,”_ Brock announces, folding his arms and tapping his foot on the ground when Hamid finally lets them go. 

“I need your help. Both of you,” Hamid says urgently. “You two _have_ to believe me, okay? I know it sounds crazy, I know it sounds… sounds absolutely insane, but the comet that’s coming tonight is going to split and destroy the entire town. We have to convince everyone to leave, I don’t know how -“

“You’re right, you do sound crazy,” Brock says, but wraps an arm around his shoulders anyway. “We believe you, though. You’ve been so _weird_ lately, you having weird prophetic dreams or whatever explains it.”

Hamid nods vigorously. “Yes, yes, definitely that. But I don’t know how to convince everyone to leave.”

Sasha steeples her fingers and stares at Hamid over them. “Could use the warning system. Hack into the system, broadcast an emergency and get everyone out that way.”

“Sasha, that’s _genius!”_ Hamid says, and only just resists from leaning over to give her a kiss on the forehead. She looks proud of herself, still, and Hamid grins over at her. “How can we hack in?”

“Leave that to me,” Brock chimes in, giving Sasha a fistbump. “I’ve wanted to try hacking back into that system ever since they warned against it in high school.”

“Perfect - wait, again?” Hamid asks, raising a quizzical eyebrow at Brock. “You’ve already done it?”

Brock shrugs. “Bored.”

That’s perfect; all they have to do is manufacture some sort of emergency to add to the effectiveness of the warning, and this might actually work. But what could they - wait.

“Brock. Are there still explosives near the mine? I saw them the, uh. Last time I was at work. What if we set those off, a safe distance away, so it looks like they’re collapsing. Could we do that?”

“We get to blow things up?” Sasha asks, perking up all of a sudden. She rubs her hands together and stands up from the bench, eyes glinting as she looks over at Hamid. “I can make that happen.”

He grins at them both. He loves them, honestly. The plan is solid, too, and should be enough to convince everyone to evacuate the town. All they have to do is create enough of a commotion to disrupt the autumn festival and get people to leave, and they’ll be all set. This is going to work. It _has_ to work. 

“Let’s go,” Hamid says, and Sasha drops the bunting she’s been putting up unceremoniously. “We’ve got to get moving.”

—

“You know, this would all go better if we can actually convince someone in power to go along with us,” Sasha says as they’re standing in line at the local corner store. They’d grabbed a few minor things that Brock needed to hack into the system, thankfully nothing too technological, and are waiting to check out before they can head back to Mr. Gusset’s house to put the plan in motion. 

Brock will start hacking into the system, and Hamid and Sasha will sneak off to the mines to relocate a few of the explosives. If everything goes off as it should, the explosions will be heard and seen around the town, but won’t cause any actual damage to the structure of the mines. And then Brock will broadcast the emergency system while Hamid and Sasha run in to the square, yelling for people to leave and get out, get to the school. They’d agreed on that location since Hamid knew it was out of the blast radius, and Brock and Sasha hadn’t questioned him. 

“Zolf, you in there?” Sasha says, flicking him in the side of the head. “Anyone home?”

Hamid pushes her finger away and glares slightly. “Sorry, bit distracted. What?”

“Said it would be easier to do this with some actual power behind us. Like -“

She’s cut off as the line moves forward, and rests the items Brock needs on the counter. 

“Ready for the festival tonight, dears?” the old woman at the counter says, absentmindedly scanning the items.

“We’re saving the town, actually,” Sasha says, and Hamid smacks himself in the forehead. The woman doesn’t seem to notice anything, just humming a quiet approving tone as she bags the rest of their items. Hamid pays as Sasha takes the bags, and the woman waves after them as they leave. 

“What were you saying, Sasha?” Hamid asks, taking one of the bags from her. 

“Zolf, your dad’s the mayor. We need someone backing this, otherwise no one will buy it. And if anyone can convince him to do something, it’s probably you.”

Hamid… had completely forgotten that, actually. But it’s a good point - especially with the festival happening, having some actual power behind the message will make it a lot more effective.

“Fine, I’ll go - I’ll go try to convince my dad, you two get everything else ready. Tell Brock if he needs anything to get it, I’ll pay him back later,” he calls, and starts running toward town hall, near the square where everyone is setting up for the festival. 

He passes some people he doesn’t recognize on the way, but thankfully doesn’t run in to Feryn, who he’s pretty sure will put him to work if he sees him. 

The single guard at the door, who seems to be more of a formality than anything else, grins at him as he jogs up, inclining their head. “He’s not busy, go on in,” they say, and Hamid gives them a grateful smile. He pushes open the doors into a moderately nice building; nothing like the ones he’d frequented with his father as a child, either in Cairo or London, but stately enough that it’s clear that this is a governmental building. He spins in place for a moment, unsure of where to go; it helps that the building is small, and that there’s a small placard with an arrow pointing toward the mayor’s office that Hamid spies on the wall opposite him. 

The door is shut when he gets up to it and, not completely devoid of manners, he knocks gently, waiting until he hears the okay from Zolf’s dad before he slips inside.

“Dad.” Hamid greets, and it’s _weird_ in his mouth, not saying ‘father’, and Hirald looks at him over his glasses.

“Zolf. How are you?”

Hamid bounces back and forth on the balls of his feet. “Ah, good, very - good. Yourself? Dad?”

“What do you have to say to me, Zolf.” It’s not a question. 

“We have to evacuate the entire town,” Hamid says, clenching his fists at his side as his father doesn’t respond at all, no movement or motion in the slightest. “The comet is coming tonight, it’s going to split and destroy the entire town,” Hamid says, throwing his hands out to the side. “You have to help get everyone to safety or they’re going to die.”

Hirald still doesn’t move, staring at Hamid over his steepled fingers, face a carefully-maintained blank mask. They stare at each other for a while, Hamid nearly holding his breath, and then Hirald leans back in his chair, letting out a deep sigh.

“The comet… is going to split and destroy the town,” Hirald says, rubbing at the bridge of his nose. “How do you know this, exactly?”

“I -“ Hamid starts, trailing off. “That - that doesn’t _matter_ , it just is, and I know it sounds crazy but -“

“You’re right,” Hirald says, tapping his finger on the desk. “It does sound crazy. It’s _nonsense_ , Zolf.” 

He sighs, again, and looks out the window while Hamid stares at him, stricken. “Please don’t trouble me with this again. I don’t know what possessed you to bring this to me, but if you don’t leave now, I’ll be forced to call the guards in.”

“Wh - I’m telling you that people are going to die, and you don’t _care?”_ Hamid says, taking a step closer to the desk. “Just -“

“You’re telling me nothing,” Hirald says, calm in the face of Hamid’s anger, his desperation. “You have absolutely no evidence, no _idea_ of what’s even happening, but you expect me to believe you? Rubbish.”

“People will _die!”_ Hamid shouts, again, and takes another step closer to the desk. Hirald slams his hands down on the table and stands, towering over Hamid.

“This. was. a. _dream,”_ he says, and it’s slow, and measured, and he’s looking down his nose at Hamid now. “I thought I had disabused you of these... flights of fancy, but apparently not. Is Feryn encouraging this? He always was a fan of your mother’s stories -“

“You arrogant, narcissistic, neglectful son of a _bitch,”_ Hamid yells at him, and that more than anything causes a flash of anger to streak across Hirald’s face. 

“I will _not_ allow any son of mine speak to me like that!” he thunders, pointing to the guards who have, unbeknownst to Hamid, sidled into the room, looking around warily. “Take him outside, _now_.”

“You _have_ to listen to me, everyone is in _danger -“_ Hamid shouts, even as the guards pull him out of the room, dragging him down the hallway. Hirald storms after him, and the guards pull Hamid out into the blinding sunlight of the afternoon. 

Feryn comes around the corner while Hamid is still shouting at his father, struggling against the guard’s grip. 

“What the - Zolf, what the _hell?”_ Feryn exclaims, running up to his side and motioning for the guards to step away. They refuse to budge, blocking Feryn from being able to reach him. “Get - get the fuck out of the way, that’s my _brother!”_

“Let him take care of Zolf,” Hirald says as he follows the guard out of the building, casting a disparaging glance in Feryn’s direction, arms crossed as he stares them both down. The guards oblige and release Hamid, moving to step in front of Hirald just in case Hamid does decide to move forward and punch him. Feryn grabs at his arm, almost like he can read Hamid’s mind, and Hamid resists the urge to shrug it off and take his chances.

“Take him _home._ He’s spouting all sorts of nonsense,” Hirald says, not even looking over at Hamid. There’s a flash of hatred in Feryn’s eyes, and his fists clench, but when he looks back up at Hirald, his face is carefully blank. 

“Yes, sir,” he says, holding on to Zolf’s arm. “I’ll handle it.”

“See that you do,” Hirald says, and the door slams shut in their face. The guards stay outside, eyeing Hamid with a mix of pity and annoyance, and don’t step back inside.

“Let’s go,” Feryn mutters in his ear, and starts to pull him away. The guards stare after them, arms crossed menacingly, until Feryn pulls Hamid into an alleyway and they’re out of sight.

“Feryn! Feryn, let me _go_ , you have to listen to me,” Hamid half-yells, struggling to break Feryn’s grip on his arm as he’s tugged further into the alleyway, farther away from the people walking in the main square. “God -“

“Alright, Zolf, what the hell is going on?” Feryn exclaims, hand tightening around Hamid’s upper arm as Hamid continues to try to break his grip. “You completely disappeared yesterday, and now you’re telling me that we have to evacuate the whole town? Just _talk to me_.”

Hamid tries and fails to pull his arm out of Feryn’s grip, straining around to look at the mine in the distance, waiting for the explosions to go off. “You wouldn’t believe me, Feryn, and we -“

“Try me.” There’s something almost desperate in Feryn’s gaze now, something _sad_ , as he glances over at Hamid. “You can - you can _trust me_.”

“I’m not Zolf,” Hamid says, and they _really_ don’t have time for this, but he needs to either get Feryn on his side or at least break his grip, and what does he have to lose, anyway. “My name is Hamid, and your brother and I have been switching bodies for months, except I’m from 2018 and tonight the comet is going to hit the town and kill everyone. I don’t - I don’t know how I can prove it to you, but. It’s true, I promise, and we have to convince everyone to leave. Evacuate.”

Feryn doesn’t move, doesn’t say anything, just stares at Hamid. His heart slowly begins to sink as Feryn doesn’t react, and he mentally kicks himself for not coming up with a better lie. 

“Alright,” Feryn says, finally, letting go of Hamid. “I believe you.”

“You - what? Really?” Hamid says, jaw dropping open. 

Feryn just shrugs. “It explains some of the days Zolf was acting strange - or, well, that was probably you, huh? Plus, you carry yourselves differently. I’ve basically raised Zolf since he was 9, I can tell when he’s acting off. And our grandmother and mum used to tell me stories about this. Zolf was probably too young to remember, but I wasn’t.”

Hamid stares at him. “Just like that?” 

“Just like that,” Feryn nods. “So, what’d you say your name was? Hamid?”

“Yes, Hamid Saleh Haroun al Tahan,” Hamid says, and sticks out a hand for Feryn to shake. Instead, Feryn raises an eyebrow at him.

“Al Tahan?” he says, folding his arms, and Hamid winces, slightly.

“Ah, yes, those al Tahans, sorry,” he mumbles, rubbing self-consciously at the back of his neck. “Er. We have a town to save?”

Feryn pulls him in for a hug and Hamid collides with his chest, letting out a small ‘oof!’ at the impact 

“I don’t care about your family name, Hamid, I was _teasing_. Still, funny that Zolf here got himself all twisted up with an al Tahan, though. Would be his luck.” He pulls back, clapping Hamid on the shoulder. 

“What can I do to help?” Feryn asks, and Hamid gestures helplessly back at town hall. 

“We need some way to make people believe us, and I thought your dad would be able to do… I don’t know. Something.”

“I’ll talk to him,” Feryn says, decisively, and Hamid hugs him, again. 

“Thank you,” he says, fervently, and Feryn pats him on the back until Hamid pulls away, wiping at his cheeks. “Ah. We should get going. We don’t have a lot of time left.”

They start walking back toward town hall. If Feryn can convince his and Zolf’s father to evacuate the town, if he can lend any sort of credence to the plan that Hamid, Brock, and Sasha are going to pull off, they’ll have a better chance of saving everyone. 

“Wait,” Feryn says, drawing up short. “When I went on that bad date, and Zolf showed up pretending that his prosthetic was broken and that we needed to go to the hospital and spilled food all over the guy, was that you?”

“When _what?”_ Hamid said, giving Feryn a concerned look. “No, that - what?”

Feryn shakes his head. “Nevermind. Doesn’t matter.”

They begin to part ways at the curve ahead, Hamid turning back toward the square to try and find Brock and Sasha, Feryn turning to town hall as he gets ready to face down his and Zolf’s father. Hamid starts to take a step away when Feryn calls after him.

“Oh, Hamid, wait - did you really call him a son of a bitch?” Feryn asks, giving Hamid an amused glance. Hamid nods, a little ashamed, but perks back up when Feryn lets out a peal of laughter.

“I’m sure that knocked the old bastard back a bit. I can see why Zolf liked you, Hamid. You’ve got fire.”

Hamid blushes, looking ahead, and can’t help the faint ghost of a smile that creeps onto his face.

—

They’d all planned to meet up at the edge of town closest to the high school when their parts of the plan were done, and Hamid begins making his way there as soon as Feryn is out of sight. He’d taken the whole reveal more in stride than Hamid had been expecting him to, but if this is what gets Feryn to convince Hirald to actually _do something_ about all of this, then he’s willing to accept it and deal with whatever consequences there are later. 

After all, if this works… if this works, everyone will be alive, _Zolf_ will be alive, and an entire town won’t be completely decimated, driven off the map. People will be able to have lives, have the second chance they never knew they could have. 

If it doesn’t… well, Hamid’s seen the outcome, and it just. He can’t think about it, not now. They have to be able to save the town, there has to be a reason he was able to come back here. He refuses to believe that he’s only here to watch everyone perish, again, and he’s willing to do anything possible to make sure that everyone in the town is out of danger by the time the comet strikes.

He gets to the meeting place first, and paces. Along the way, he’d grabbed everyone he could, anyone who walked by, and begged them not to go to the festival, told them to go to the school, but they all just looked at him like he was insane, and hurried on their way. 

No one had listened to him. No one had cared. Sasha, Brock, and Feryn all believed him, and he was grateful for them, but all of that would be meaningless if the entire town refuses to heed their warning.

He hears the tread of tires against pavement and turns, spying Brock and Sasha coming up the road on Brock’s bike.

“We did it!” Brock crows, as Sasha whoops from behind him and throws her hands in the air. “Hacked the signal! We’re ready to roll!” 

Hamid lets out a deep, relieved sigh, and sinks back into the bench of the picnic table he’s standing next to, head in his hands. 

That’s two parts of the plan down, then. And the only remaining part is Hirald.

“Zolf? What’d your dad say?” Brock comes to a stop in front of him, face still lit up with the excitement of victory. 

“Zolf?” Sasha says, when he doesn’t respond. She hops off of the back of the bike, a concerned look on her face.

Hamid just shakes his head. “He - he won’t help us. Feryn’s talking to him, now, but I don’t know if he’ll come around.”

Sasha and Brock share a look. “What’ll we do if he doesn’t”? Sasha asks, trying and failing to hide the worry on her face. 

Hamid shakes his head. “We can’t think about that now, we have to trust Feryn. If he can’t - if he can’t convince him, then we still need to send the message.”

Brock looks unsure, all of a sudden, playing with the rips in his sweater as he looks down at the ground. “But - Zolf, what if it doesn’t work? I can sound the alarm, sure, but that will only do so much…”

Hamid nods. “We have to hope that the bombs Sasha and I set off will convince people to leave. We _have_ to. And you have to be the one sending the message; if my dad doesn’t listen, and won’t send anything out, we still need to warn people.”

Brock looks panicked. “But -“

“Brock, _please,”_ Hamid says. “Please.”

Brock hesitates, looking over at Sasha before nodding, slowly. “I’ll do everything I can, Zolf. Promise.”

“There's nothing more we can do. Convincing your dad… it has to be you, Zolf,” Sasha says, and Hamid stops in his tracks.

Maybe… maybe it does. Maybe if he _were_ Zolf, he’d be able to save everyone. Maybe it’s not impossible, maybe it’s just that Hamid isn’t enough, can’t be the one to save everyone. If Zolf were here, would he be able to convince Hirald to evacuate? Would people listen to him when he warned them away, when he directed them to go to the school?

He glances up to the ridge.

If Hamid is here, in Zolf’s body, then does that mean…? 

“Brock, I need your bike. Now,” Hamid says, as Brock gives him a confused look.

“Ah, what?” he asks, exchanging a worried look with Sasha. “We have to get everything set up, where are you going?”

Hamid takes the bike and swings his leg over it. “I have to do _one thing_ , just… get everything set up. If I’m not back before the sun sets, you need to go on and put it in motion without me. You _have_ to save everyone. Okay?” 

“Zolf, wait!” Sasha calls after him, but Hamid doesn’t turn around. He has to get to the shrine, has to see if Zolf is there. 

If anyone can do it, if _anyone_ can save the town, it will be him. And the sun is getting lower in the sky with every minute - they’re running out of time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so this is getting fun huh!!! this bit was gonna be longer (it’s still 4.3k so) but the pacing felt weird so i cut it into two parts, the next part is one of my fave bits!


	12. Chapter 12

The sound of water falling against rocks causes Zolf to stir where he’s lying on the ground. His face scrunches up as he frowns, blades of grass tickling his beard as he blinks once, twice, before sitting up. “Where…” He’s in a glade, shadows of the trees stretching out long over the grass, and he glances around in confusion. 

The shrine is behind him, the one that he and Feryn traveled to every year to give offerings and request good luck and good health in return, but the gifts he and Feryn had left only a short while ago look years old, covered in moss. 

He goes to stand, and with a shocked noise realizes that he doesn’t have a prosthetic, that the dark tone of his skin isn’t his, but is still familiar.

He’s - he’s in Hamid’s body? But why - why would Hamid be at the shrine, why is it happening now, why can’t Zolf _remember._ He shields his eyes as he looks into the distance, spotting the ridge that borders the town, and decides to make his way there. Hamid must be there, in his body, and Zolf needs to know what’s going on, why they’ve changed now, _what Hamid was doing at the shrine in the first place._

It’s slow-going. His legs scream with the effort as he gets closer to the ridge, muscles pulling and feeling overworked. He eventually makes it to the edge and climbs up the ridge, stumbling on the slick rocks as he does, catching himself on tree branches as he pulls himself up. They aggravate small cuts already covering his palms, and Zolf hisses in pain as a splinter stabs into his hand. 

He rests a moment, taking a deep breath, and then hauls himself up over the lip of the ridge, catching his breath as his arms tremble. 

“Jesus, Hamid,” he huffs, wiping the back of his hand along his forehead. “Any sort of physical activity would benefit you.”

The sun is nearly ready to set, in the distance, and as Zolf stands up he glances out over the trees, turning back and forth as he looks around. He can’t see Countisbury from here, can’t see anything but the lake, and then he stumbles to the side as -

_The field. Explosions surrounding them, people screaming as they ran, watching Sasha and Brock look on in terror as Zolf grabbed their hands and pulled them back, pulled them away, looking desperately around for Feryn, for any way out of this before -_

Zolf falls to his knees, memories racing through his head. His hands curl in the dirt below him, knuckles turning white.

“We - the comet - how am I...” he whispers to the ground, and can’t hold back the choked sob that wells up inside his throat. Sasha. Brock. _Feryn_. The entire town, gone, in a disaster that was never supposed to happen. Everyone. Dead.

A single tear splashes onto the ground below him, and Zolf looks up again. He can see the town; he was wrong, before. Surrounding the lake are piles of debris, ruined buildings and scorched earth as far as his eyes can see. It’s complete and total destruction, surrounding the calm waters of the lake, completely untouched and unmarred by the devastation. 

Zolf can’t hold back the tears, now, and they fall out of him like they’ve been desperate to escape for a while now, crashing into the dirt as Zolf dry heaves, shoulders shaking. 

—

_Faster_.

The bike is moving as quickly as Hamid is able to pedal, eyes locked on the ridge ahead of him. The sun is still high in the distance, but Hamid checks his watch and knows they only have about four hours to stop everything, before the comet splits and goes crashing to the earth. It’s an awful journey; the entire thing is uphill, and Hamid wonders if it may have been quicker to just climb the side of the ridge, even with the prosthetic leg. He quickly throws that idea away. This side of the cliff face is sheer and rocky, he would barely make it up ten feet before falling, and that’s if he were lucky. 

He keeps moving, racing against the clock, racing against time and fate itself, begging whatever gods existed in the universe to let him save people, let him find Zolf again, to just… give them a chance to meet.

The tires falter, only for a moment, as Hamid’s head throbs, softly, and a new memory begins pouring in, pressing against the back of his skull.

_(“I’m going to London,” Zolf announces quietly, following Sasha down the stairs as he glances around to make sure Brock and Feryn aren’t around to hear him. “Don’t tell Feryn, just cover for me.”_

_Sasha stops dead in her tracks, and Zolf runs into her, almost bowling the both of them over until he catches them with a hand on the railing. “Zolf,_ London _, what? Wait, don’t -“ she says, grabbing Zolf’s wrist as he tries to keep moving. “Where did this come from?”_

_“If I promise to buy you eel buns for the next week, will you just let me go without questions?” Zolf begs, but Sasha shakes her head._

_“No, now why are you running off to London, of all places?”_

_Zolf racks his brain, and he really should have come up with an excuse beforehand, but hindsight has always been 20/20 where he’s concerned. “Ah. I have. It’s a date?” he tries, but Sasha doesn’t let go of his wrist._

_“You have a_ what _?!” she hisses, pulling him down off the stairs and around to the side. “What the hell, Zolf?”_

_“It’s not… my date? If that helps? I - I promise I’ll explain, Sasha, just, I need to be there?” he says, and she must see something in his eyes, because she lets him go._

_“Fine. My lips are sealed, won’t even tell Brock. But you owe me.”_

_“Absolutely._ Thank you, _Sasha,” Zolf says fervently, and pulls her into a quick hug. She doesn’t return the hug, but she does pat him on the shoulder with one of her hands, and that’s enough. “I’ll be back tonight, I promise.”)_

Hamid can’t stop the tears from falling as his breath begins to shorten and his lungs feel as though they’re about to collapse; his right shin burns in pain, and his arms are shaky from holding so tightly into the handlebar, back aching from leaning forward. 

_(“The number that you have called is out of service at this time.”_

_His hand drops from his ear as the familiar message plays on his phone. He’d sent Hamid’s number to himself the last time they’d switched, just in case he’d ever muster up the courage to call it, and now, standing in the Charing Cross tube station, he better have enough courage to speak to Hamid. It’s a bit late to back out now, after all._

_He… doesn’t really know what his plan is, honestly. If all is going as it should, Hamid should be on the date with Liliana by now, heading down the northern line from Charing Cross to Angel to visit the Islington Museum. Zolf - it’s not for him, as much as he wishes it was, but he can’t get rid of the fantasy of running into Hamid in the street. Of seeing him, finally, and not just in the mirror or as a picture._

_It’s hard not to imagine how Hamid will react, if they ever do meet in person. Zolf doesn’t… know, is the thing. Hamid might be upset, might not have wanted to meet him at all, but Hamid would never say so. He might hide it all behind a thin veneer of joy._

_Or maybe he’ll actually be… happy. Excited, even. Maybe then they can sit down and actually speak, face to face, no more passing notes and messages between each other every time they switch._

_Maybe - maybe Zolf can tell Hamid how he feels, and if he’s lucky… Hamid will feel the same._

_He finds himself wandering around London as the day wears on; he’d been here once before, when his father wanted a second opinion on his mother’s condition and they all traveled up to London together, back when they were still a family. Before their mother had passed away. When their father was still around. He shakes the thoughts away and keeps marching forward, trying Hamid’s number again and getting the same error message as before._

_The path he’s on takes him to a lovely little park, not too far away from the museum he’d recommended that Hamid and Liliana go to, and sits by a little fountain in the midafternoon sun. It’s a gorgeous piece, and Zolf leans back in the bench, staring up at the intricate metal and smiling as he thinks of Hamid living here. The city does suit him, in a way. Zolf can’t imagine how he ever fared in Countisbury, at least at the start. Probably about as well as he did, not sure which way was up and which streets led where and how public transit worked when everything wasn’t a simple walk away._

_The sun is creeping toward the horizon when Zolf finally gets up to leave, heading back the way he came. He needs to get back to Paddington Station soon; it’s a five hour long train ride back, and if he even has a hope of getting back before Feryn really starts to panic, he has to be gone soon to catch the last train leaving._

_He’s sitting in the station at St. Pancras, waiting to hop on the Northern line to Paddington when Zolf sees a familiar face in the window of the train and breathes in sharply, hurrying as fast as he can move through the crowd to the open door, slipping in just in time. He doesn’t even know what line it is, or where it’s going, but he’s not going to miss this opportunity, not when he’s finally_ here. 

_The train is crowded, but he’s able to slip past the people standing, making his way toward the opposite end of the car._

_He’s right there. Hamid is right there in front of him.)_

The bike wheel twists on a rock and Hamid feels himself go flying, careening into the side of the ridge as the bike crumples under him. He slams into the rock, falling to the ground with a pained hiss. Cradling his arm to his stomach, grimacing, he sets off at a run, moving on unsteady legs. He’s almost there, only a few more twisting turns down the path before he gets to the top of the ridge, and his chest is heaving as he runs. 

Zolf came to see him. In London. Three years ago, his first year in university, when Hamid was new to the city and had only just met Gideon and Liliana for the first time. 

He hadn’t known him. Not then, not three years ago, before any of this had happened.

_(Zolf stands awkwardly behind Hamid, playing with the dolphin bracelet on his wrist while Hamid plays on his phone, not looking up. He steels himself, swallowing heavily as his hand reaches out to grip Hamid’s shoulder. The train brakes hiss and Zolf stumbles forward, colliding with Hamid and only just catching both of them as the train slides to a stop._

_Hamid turns back to look at him and Zolf’s heart is in his throat. “Ah. Sorry, about that, didn’t. Didn’t mean to shove into you, or anything, train stopped a bit sooner than I was expecting, um, are you alright?”_

_Hamid nods and smiles, waving it away. “It’s fine, really, I know how these trains can be.” He gives an awkward laugh that Zolf returns, and they both lapse into silence, Zolf keeping his eyes trained on Hamid._

_“Can I - is there something you needed?” he asks, and his smile is still warm but he’s leaning back a bit, ever-so-slightly._

_“It’s, uh - it’s me,” Zolf says, giving Hamid a weak, nervous smile._

_Hamid looks at him, and there’s no flash of recognition in his eyes, only a vague confusion as he glances over at Zolf. “Oh! Sorry, I think you may have me confused with someone else?”_

_He gives him an apologetic smile and goes back to playing on his phone, tapping at some random game that Zolf doesn’t recognize, and Zolf takes an unconscious step back._

_He… he doesn’t know him. Zolf doesn’t know what he expected, really._

_“Sorry,” Zolf mutters. “Thought you - thought you were - nevermind.” Hamid doesn’t look up, but he gives a quiet sympathetic murmur as the train picks back up again, heading for the next station. All Zolf can do is stand there, trying not to give in to the gaping hole where his heart used to be, while he plays everything back. Maybe - maybe it hadn’t meant as much to Hamid as it had to him._

_And then the train stops and Zolf takes a step back. “Sorry,” he says again, quieter, regretful._

_Hamid either doesn’t hear or he doesn’t look up, but Zolf has to fight back the tears building up behind his eyes as he slips the dolphin pendant off his wrist and squeezes the charm in between his palm. The train comes to a stop and Zolf bites back a sigh, turning around to exit._

_“Wait!” Hamid calls after him, and warmth blooms in his chest as he thinks for a moment that he wasn’t wrong, that Hamid did remember him, that they would be - “What’s your name?”_

_Zolf can barely turn around to look at him, being pushed out of the doors as he gets caught up in the crowd, but he can turn his head enough to yell, “Zolf! My name is -“ before the train doors are shutting behind him and he sees Hamid’s confused face behind the glass. And then he’s gone, too, whisked away as the train accelerates down the line._

_He doesn’t realize that he’s dropped the pendant until much later, kicking himself for losing one of the last gifts his mother had left him. He doesn’t see Hamid staring where Zolf had left curiously, before noticing the bracelet on the floor and picking it up, looking around and asking who’s it is. He doesn’t see Hamid slip it on to his own wrist with a confused, nearly dreamy look after no one claims it.)_

The bracelet. He’d never remembered how he’d gotten it; it had been Zolf’s, and Hamid had carried it with him this entire time. Carried a piece of Zolf with him, all these years later, even before he knew him. 

Three years ago, Zolf came and found him in London, and now it’s Hamid’s turn to find him. Hamid’s turn to save him, because god knows Zolf would have done the same for him in a heartbeat. 

He can see the shrine from here, in the fading light, and there’s nothing strange there. The trees are more familiar, from up here, even if there are less of them covering the ground.

“Zolf!” Hamid yells, hands cupped around his mouth, but there’s no response, no one else standing on the ridge.

He’s alone.

—

_Zolf!_ comes a familiar cry on the wind and Zolf looks around, confused. He could have sworn it sounded exactly like Hamid’s voice, if played through a tinny, small recorder that barely has any power to it at all. He can only just make out his name, and that’s because everything else on the ridge is eerily silent. No bird calls, no gentle brush of wind through the rock, no trees brushing against each other, no animal noises. 

It’s a silent world. 

He stands on weak legs, arms wrapped protectively around his midsection, and glances around. There’s no one else on the ridge; he’s alone.

The cry comes again, stronger this time. 

**_Zolf!_ **

“Hamid?” Zolf calls, looking around the ridge of the mountain. Could - how could it be him, calling to Zolf? 

_Zolf_! _I know you can hear me,_ he hears, and he starts walking toward where he hears the voice, eyes darting around as he tries to catch any glimpse of something moving, anyone at all. 

“Hamid!” he calls again, glancing desperately left and right. The ridge is completely bare, except for him, but as he runs forward, crossing the distance carefully, he feels a tug in his chest and halts, turning around to face the empty space in front of him. He could have - could have sworn…

He lifts his arm, stretching his hand out as he reaches forward, expecting to grab something, anything -

There’s nothing there, and Zolf lets his arm fall back to his side. He’d - he really thought he’d _felt_ Hamid, there, but. It must be another dream, a half-baked wish of his brain, here in this space where time twists and distorts. Where reality is a little thinner. The light dims, a bit, and Zolf turns, facing the setting sun. 

_Golden hour_ , Zolf thinks, staring off into where the sun is setting as he shields his eyes. His eyes slip shut as a bell tolls, faintly, in the distance, and there’s a brief squeezing sensation as he turns back to look at the empty space in front of him, no longer empty. He laughs, quietly, more like relief than amusement, because he’s looking at Hamid, instead of only hearing him, and he’s back in his own body, Hamid standing across from him in this space between worlds, and Zolf can’t take his eyes off of him.

“ _Hamid,”_ Zolf says, and it comes out as more of a desperate sigh, and then Hamid is reaching out to him, tears streaming down his face as Zolf pulls him into a hug, wrapping his arms tightly around him. 

“Zolf, _Zolf,_ it’s really you, I -“ Hamid is saying, crying into Zolf’s chest as his hands twist into his coat, pulling Zolf even closer to him. “I thought - I thought it was over, thought I’d lost you forever, I can’t believe you’re _here.”_ He pulls back for a moment and his palm rests on Zolf’s cheek, and he’s smiling through the tears on his face as he drinks Zolf in, thumb brushing against his cheekbone.

Zolf can’t stop himself from leaning forward, grabbing Hamid’s face between his hands as he kisses him desperately, and _gods,_ it’s everything. 

Hamid is laughing under his lips and Zolf can feel the tears on his own face matched on Hamid’s, and then Hamid’s arms are wrapping around his neck and Zolf is being pulled down, pulled deeper into the kiss as he can’t stop laughing either. 

“Hamid,” he whispers against his lips, one hand slipping off of Hamid’s cheeks to rest on his lower back as he holds Hamid closer.

“God, I can’t believe I found you,” Hamid murmurs, finally pulling back from Zolf. He doesn’t pull far; just enough so that he can talk, and presses their foreheads together. “You were farther away than I thought,” Hamid says, soft and warm as he still refuses to let go of Zolf.

They stand like that for a moment, a small smile on Zolf’s face as he lets his eyes slip closed, breathing in the reassuring warmth of Hamid’s body. It’s a silent world, still, but Zolf’s no longer alone. Hamid takes his hand, twining their fingers together, and Zolf glances down, a familiar silver charm standing out starkly against Hamid’s skin.

“Is that - is that my bracelet? How’d you get that?”

“Oh, this?” Hamid says, holding up the pendant. “When you visited me, in London. I didn’t know you, it was three years too _early_ for me to know you, but you dropped this, and I couldn’t get rid of it.”

He holds the pendant between his fingers and slowly unravels the cord, wrapping it back around Zolf’s wrist. “I always felt like it was my lucky charm.”

The weight of the pendant is light, but it feels like it belongs when it slips back over Zolf’s wrist. The cord is still warm from being wrapped against Hamid’s wrist. Hamid’s fingers dance along his wrist, entangling with Zolf’s fingers as he pulls him back in, pressing a gentle kiss to Zolf’s shoulder, his neck, his jaw, his cheek, until Zolf uses his free hand to tilt Hamid’s head enough, chasing his lips with his own. He kisses him, lazily, as though they have all the time in the world, even as the sun sets behind him. 

“Zolf, the comet,” Hamid says, pulling back completely. His eyes are wide with terror and worry as he looks at him. “You have to leave, you _have_ to make everyone else leave. Me and Sasha and Brock, we were trying, but no one was listening, it _has to be you_.”

“The - the comet?” Zolf says, and it’s a flash of memories, again, of pain and death and destruction, and -

Hamid’s hands are warm on Zolf’s cheeks, pulling him out of the hell his own mind can create, and Zolf takes a deep shuddering breath as Hamid presses their foreheads together. “You can do it Zolf. I know you can. I believe in you.”

 _What if I don’t believe in myself?_ is what Zolf doesn’t say; Hamid’s hope, Hamid’s belief is enough for him, now, and he has to be able to do this. “What do I have to do?”

“Talk to your father. He has to convince the town to leave, has to make it official.”

Zolf nods, because what else can he do? If talking to his father is the thing that saves their town, saves everyone he loves, he’ll do it. He’ll do anything.

He can’t stop himself from pulling Hamid back in, from pressing their lips together and running his hands through Hamid’s hair. Hamid responds in kind, but he’s laughing as he does, hands resting gently on Zolf’s chest. 

Zolf never wants to let him go. Never wants to lose this again, wants to be able to hold Hamid close to him forever. 

“What if we forget again?” 

Hamid pulls out a pen. “Here. Just in case.” He takes Zolf’s hand, so gently, and writes something on the palm, closing Zolf’s hand up and holding out his own.

Zolf takes the pen with a smile and presses it to the skin of Hamid’s palm and -

(The pen cap clatters to the ground as Hamid looks up at where Zolf had stood, seeing only empty space. A soft white light brushes over the mountain ridges as Hamid turns to look at the moon, slowly rising into the sky.

“No,” he whispers, realizing. “I won’t forget him. Not again. Zolf. Your name is Zolf.” He repeats the name to himself like a mantra even as a supernatural exhaustion pulls at his bones, gently guiding him down to the ground as his eyes slip closed.

 _Zolf?_ )

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DID Y’ALL KNOW DOLPHINS REPRESENT RESURRECTION THIS WAS UNINTENTIONAL BUT IT WORKS. also y’all yelling at me for killing zolf and everyone smh i was legit sending screencaps of them seeing each other again a month ago before i even posted the first chap
> 
> also i’ve been to london one (1) time all of this is from personal experience and google maps Blease. no beta/britpick readers we die like men
> 
> also x2 i’m very proud of this chapter!! comments and kudos’ are, as always, v appreciated.


	13. Chapter 13

The air shifts around Zolf and he blinks, breeze picking up once more. He’s alone on the ridge again. Zolf looks at where Hamid was, where they _finally_ got to see each other, and there’s no one there. The sunlight completely filters out, dust notes floating through the air settling to the ground.

He presses his fingers to his lips and can’t hide the slight smile. 

_Hamid_.

Hamid’s words slip through his mind, again, crashing the small moment of peace and Zolf lets his hand fall. There’s no time to reminisce, no time for regrets or dreams. They’ll all have enough time for that after the town is safe. 

He swallows, heavily, and sets off back toward the town. If he can pull this off, if he can save everyone in time, he and Hamid will get their chance. Three years in the future, maybe, but they’ll still get a future. The town will live. Everyone Zolf loves will be safe. Going down the ridge is less treacherous than it had been scaling it, but Zolf still doesn’t break into a half-jog until he’s back on solid, stable ground. 

Hamid. 

_Hamid. Hamid. Hamid._

He can’t forget, not again, not now. He refuses to let himself. Even if nothing works, if fate is nailed to the wall and unchanging, he got this moment with Hamid, and he won’t forget that, not for all the gold in the world. 

—

“Sasha!” Zolf yells, running back into the town square and spotting her standing there, looking a little lost. She spins around when he calls her name, running over to him as well. 

“Zolf! Thank the gods you’re back, we need to go now, get the plan set up,” she grabs his hand and pulls him back the way he had come, dashing off down the stairs as he struggles to keep up with her. He glances behind himself, trying to catch a single glimpse of Feryn, to try and grab him as well, or Brock, but can’t see them in the crowd, and keeps running. Sasha lets go when it’s clear that Zolf is following behind her, keeping her stride short so that Zolf can easily keep up, running as fast as he can with the prosthetic. They curve around town as they run, and Zolf realizes that they’re heading toward the mines.

“What - Sasha, why,” he starts, but Sasha slips away from him, through a gap in the fence that she beckons Zolf to follow her through. He does, because Hamid had said there was a plan, and he needed to trust that this was it, that this would work. 

“We need to set off the charges,” Sasha whispers, casting her gaze around the small entrance to the mine. “Far enough away so nothing collapses, but they have to be able to see it from town.”

Zolf nods, and grabs a handful of the charges from her. He knows this tunnels like the back of his hand, he knows exactly where to stick these so that they don’t create a mess. 

“Follow me,” he whispers back, even though there isn’t anyone around the mines this late. It’s better to be safe, even if Zolf is moving quicker than he normally would be. They don’t have time to be stealthy, anymore. Sasha follows, and sets down the charges where he instructs her to. He does the same, walking through a mental map of the mine’s curving passage as they go. They double check, triple check, make sure everything is in place, and then Zolf looks to Sasha expectantly.

She pulls out the timer for the bombs and sets it, connecting each wire to it as she gently places it down in the dirt. “This’ll absolutely cause a scene,” she says, giving Zolf a nod. “Just have to sell it.”

“Good. Let’s go,” Zolf says, pulling on Sasha's arm as the time starts to tick down on the bombs. “We need to get back in town before they go off, so people see the smoke and evacuate. Otherwise, no one will believe us.”

“Got it,” Sasha says, and then they’re off, running back to the town while Zolf keeps half his attention on the timer, mentally counting it down in his head.

 _One minute_ , he thinks, and tries to pick up the pace, the minute hand slowly ticking closer and closer to zero.

They come across a group of people laughing and clapping as they begin to make their way to the town square for the festival, and Sasha darts in between them, a shadow in the crowd until Zolf sees her pop up in front of them, making herself seen in a way she normally doesn’t.

“There’s something wrong at the mines!” Sasha yells, pointing back the way they came. A few people give her quizzical looks but don’t turn, and then continue on their way to the festival, brushing against her as they go. Sasha turns to Zolf and gives him a worried look, because the bombs should have gone off by now, should have -

There’s a deafeningly loud explosion from behind them and Zolf flinches, instinctively throwing his hands in front of his face even though he knows the explosion won’t reach them. Everyone else reacts similarly, some screaming while others drop to the ground, grabbing whatever they can hold or covering their head.

A plume of dark smoke rises into the air, stark and clear even against the night sky. 

“See?” Zolf yells, pointing back at the smoke. “We have to evacuate to the high school, just to be safe!” The people standing around him nod, terror in their eyes, and head off down the path at a run. He lets out a sigh of relief and turns to Sasha, who’s watching the smoke rise up above the trees with excitement in her eyes. 

“We need to get to the square, that’s where everyone else will be,” Zolf says, and Sasha gives him a thumbs up, taking the lead as they run back to the town. His legs and lungs burn as they run, as fast as Zolf is able. Sasha seems reluctant to leave him behind, as well, keeping a slower pace so that Zolf is running alongside her instead of lagging. 

“Explosion at the mines!” Zolf shouts as they run along the path, motioning for everyone to follow them. “It’s not safe! We have to go!” 

No one follows, and he sees a few people duck their heads together and whisper urgently, clearly trying to be subtle and failing as they point at Sasha and Zolf. 

“They’re not listening,” Sasha says, and cups her hands around as she shouts another warning. Only a few people even look like they care, look like they’re listening at all. One or two of them seem to buy it, setting off with their children toward the high school, but everyone else stays where they are, heading toward the town square. Zolf and Sasha can’t wait around, not when everyone needs to be warned, so they keep running, shouting warnings as they go. Barely anyone listens to them, most rolling their eyes and continuing on their way, even as the smoke curls higher into the sky.

They stumble into the main square, Zolf nearly tripping on the steps, and bend over to catch their breath. 

“Hey! Explosions! Look!” he yells, voice catching as he tries to breathe, and points back toward the smoke. A few people step back in alarm, and whispers grow among the crowd as they all seem unsure of where to go. “Get to the school!” 

No one moves, even though a few people in the crowd are tugging insistently at other people’s sleeves, pulling them in the direction of the school. Everyone else seems frozen, staring at the smoke rising up into the clouds, and Zolf glances around at everyone, absolutely helpless before a crowd that refuses to hear his words. Sasha is a comforting presence at his side, sharing a confused and worried look with him.

“Come _on_ , Brock,” Zolf mutters urgently, eyes darting around everyone giving them confused or outright suspicious glances. Sasha tenses next to him, hand going to her pocket slowly. 

All of the lights flash for a moment, bright, and then die, shrouding the entire square in darkness for a heartbeat. There’s a whirring sound from all around them, and the emergency lights flick on, casting a deep red light over everyone. A crackling noise comes out of the speakers on each side of the square, and then they all hear a faint, deep breath.

“ _This is an emergency broadcast from Countisbury Town Hall. There has been an accident at the mining site. Please evacuate to Countisbury High School as we monitor the situation. Do not panic, and move in an orderly fashion.”_

Brock’s voice, slightly modulated, comes out over the airwaves and Zolf heaves a sigh of relief, spinning on his heel and pointing toward the nearest loudspeaker. “Did you hear? We need to go!” 

People finally start moving at that, murmuring worriedly to one another as they leave the square, all forming a line on the way down the path that leads to the high school. Some stay where they are, still giving the loudspeaker a suspicious look, not budging at all. 

_“This is an emergency broadcast from Countisbury Town Hall. There has been an accident at the mining site. Please evacuate to Countisbury High School as we monitor the situation. Do not panic, and move in an orderly fashion.”_

“Look at the smoke!” Zolf yells again, voice carrying over Brock’s as he points insistently back at the explosions near the mine, gesturing frantically. “Get out of here!”

More people heed his words as Sasha darts around the crowd, herding the groups of people toward the opposite end of the square from where they are, toward the closest pathway to the school. 

It’s working. It’s _actually working,_ their plan is working, and everyone will be safe, everyone will evacuate, no one has to die tonight -

 _“This is an emergency broadcast from Countisbury Town Hall. There has been - wait! No! Get the hell offa -“_ The sounds of a struggle come through the loudspeaker, along with deep voices shouting, covering out Brock’s own swears. _“Get to the school! Please!”_ they hear, and then the sound cuts to dead air, a quiet static noise that filters through the speakers before the line goes silent, as though the plug has been pulled. An eerie quiet settles over the crowd and the festival attendees all start whispering amongst themselves again, confusion evident in their tones. They keep moving toward the high school and Zolf lets out a breath he hadn’t known he was holding, turning back toward Sasha. 

“We have to get Brock,” Zolf says, decisive, and moves toward the high school, Sasha silently following along in his wake. It had been easiest to hack into the line from there, so it had been where Brock had decided to set up shop for the evening. They bob and weave through the line of people making their way there, racing ahead while everyone else ambles along, walking a bit faster than normal. 

They’re halfway there when there’s another explosion and they both stumble forward, Zolf swearing as he nearly trips, catching himself with a hand on a table. 

“Did we set the charges right? Zolf, did we set the charges right?” Sasha yells, panic taking over her face as she turns back, glancing at the new plumes of smoke running into the sky. “I thought the bombs already went off!”

“They did…” Zolf says, taking a step back toward the town. He levels a worried look at Sasha and finds it mirrored on her face. All around them, people are starting to scream as a new pillar of smoke rises above the trees, fire stretching higher than it had before. “Shite, I don’t - I don’t know what happened, I don’t know how to fix it, I can’t -“

Sasha opens her mouth to cut him off when the loudspeaker does that for him, static crackling back to life as Zolf and Sasha trade a confused, apprehensive look.

_“This is Countisbury Town Hall. We are currently looking into the incident and will keep all of the residents updated when we have more information. For the time being, please remain where you are, and remain calm. One again, this is Countisbury…”_

“Dammit!” Zolf yells, drowning out the sound of the voice, slamming a fist into his thigh as he glares up at the loudspeaker for the alarm system. “He’s going to be the reason everyone dies, just because he refused to listen.” 

He feels tears leak from his eyes as he looks back at Sasha. They’re all out of time. Everyone is turning back, now, standing awkwardly on the path as they discuss whether to keep going or to turn back or to listen to the announcement and stay where they are. Zolf can hear the whispers being passed along, something about _a prank gone wrong, or maybe a false alarm, this was Countisbury after all, no one would attack us,_ and wants to scream.

“Zolf. Go,” Sasha says, pulling him out of the nightmare of his head with a warm hand on his arm. “I promise I’ll find Brock and we’ll try to get everyone to safety, but we don’t have _time_. You have to convince your dad.”

“I’m not leaving you and Brock -“

“It ain’t gonna be us who convinces him, mate,” Sasha says, shaking her head. “Go.”

“Sasha,” Zolf says, and it’s broken as he looks at her. She gives him a small smile and reaches out, pulling him into a brief but tight hug. Her eyes are sparkling with tears as she pulls away, and she hides her face, rubbing at her eyes. 

She clears her throat. “Go. We’ll be okay.”

Zolf nods, and turns, running down the road toward town hall. He - he has to trust that Sasha can handle it, that she can find Brock and get out, get the town to _listen_. The charges that went off just now… they weren’t his and Sasha’s. Something else is happening, something more than just the comet, and Zolf’s dad will have to listen to him now, especially with the black smoke rising into the air. 

He pushes through the crowd, breaking through the throng of people onto the open road and gasps, pressing a hand to his chest, looking up. And then he begins to run, eyes trained on the town hall building.

—

The road is silent and empty as Zolf runs, aside from the pounding of his boots on the pavement. He can see the bright light of the comet in the distance and tries to run faster, straining every muscle he has as he pushes his body to its absolute limit. His chest is pounding as he runs, but he can’t stop to catch his breath now, not when the comet is still so close. 

He has to convince his father. Has to make him believe, has to make him get everyone to evacuate, otherwise it’s… it’s all over, for them all. 

Zolf can’t let that happen. Not while he still has a breath in his body, not while there’s still a single, even infinitesimal, chance of him being able to protect everyone. His father just has to _listen_ , for once, and believe in Zolf. 

He has to do this. Not just for the town, not just for himself, but for the chance to someday see Hamid again. They could… they could really _be_ something, the two of them, and Hamid fought against fate and destiny and time itself to bring them together, just for one moment. 

If Hamid could do that, could take the strings and fibers of the universe and twist them, wrap them tightly around Zolf’s wrist until they were tethered together, Zolf can convince his father to evacuate the town. He has to. The only other outcome is… unthinkable. 

He refuses to lose. Not now, not when he’s finally fell in love, when he knows how this all ends and can help stop it, divert the course of the future and save everyone.

Hamid. Hamid, Hamid, _Hamid._ Zolf refuses to let himself forget, not anymore. 

_Hamid_. His name is _Hamid._ And Zolf loves him, and Zolf has to save the town, has to protect everyone, because he needs to find Hamid again, in the real world, when there’s not a comet coming, when they’re not separated by three years. 

Hamid never rejected him, he didn’t _know_ him when Zolf had gone to London, and that’s fine, because he - because _Hamid_ loves him, and Zolf can’t forget his name. Can’t forget _him,_ can’t forget the feel of lips sliding against his, of warm arms snaking around his back, of soft hands resting on his cheek, making him feel loved, _so_ loved. 

He’s running as fast as he can toward the town hall building, because if he can’t get his father to listen to him than it’s all going to be over anyway. The comet is beginning to arc overhead and Zolf tries to run faster, but his chest is heaving and he can barely breathe. 

_Hamid_.

He can’t fail. Not this time.

_H -_

The prosthetic catches on an outstretched tile and Zolf goes flying down the stairs, rolling as every single impact causing him to cry out in pain until he reaches the bottom. It feels like it takes an eternity, and he thinks he blacks out for a moment when his eyes open and he’s laying in a crumpled pile at the bottom of the stairs, head throbbing where he must have knocked it against a piece of stone. He curls up into himself, tears falling down his face as it sends a shooting stream of pain throughout his entire body, and tries not to scream. 

He can’t remember his name.

He rolls onto his back and stares at the sky, illuminated by the light of the comet. They’re almost out of time, and he’s going to fail. Everyone will die, and it will be his fault. He - he won’t be able to - there was someone else who told him to do this, but Zolf can’t remember. He just saw them, standing on the ridge, and Zolf can’t remember their name.

( _“What if we forget again?”_

 _“Here. Just in case.” He takes Zolf’s hand, so gently, and writes something on the palm, closing Zolf’s hand up and holding out his own._ )

 _We wrote each other’s names on our hands_ , he remembers, and uncurls his palm. Sitting there, in stark black ink, the handwriting that he’ll never be able to forget even if he can’t remember who’s it is, are three words.

 _I love you_. 

Zolf brings his hand to his mouth, clenching his fist as he presses his knuckles against his lips. _This won’t help me remember you_ , he thinks, and it’s a broken thread in his mind, but he can remember a sweet smile, the feel of his face under Zolf’s hands, his _warmth_ , even if everything else is fuzzy around the edges.

_I love you._

He can’t remember - he doesn’t know who it _is_ , but he knows how important they were to him, how much he loved them _back_. This wasn’t nothing, wasn’t a quick romance that Zolf would forget about as he got older. This was something _deeper_ , something meaningful, and Zolf loved them too. He can almost picture their (his?) face in his mind, and then it’s gone, pulled away into wisps, and Zolf rises steadily to his feet. 

He’ll never have the chance to see them again if he doesn’t save everyone. And the only person who can help is his father, and Zolf has to be the one to convince him. 

The comet arcs overhead as Zolf starts running down the road, awkwardly stumbling at first until he can gain more momentum, and then it feels like he’s flying toward the town hall building. 

He knows there are tears streaking down his face, and he might have dislocated his wrist when he had gone tumbling down the stairs, and he looks a right mess but he can’t _stop_ , it has to be him, he has to save the people he loves, and he loves H - H - _him_ , and if he can just convince his father...

The doors fly open at a push of his hand and Zolf stumbles in, breathing heavily. “Dad,” he chokes out, and then Feryn is at his side, giving him a concerned look and gently wrapping Zolf up in a tight hug. 

Zolf returns it, quickly.

“Zolf?” Feryn asks, looking into his eyes, and then nods to himself, letting out a relieved sigh even as more concern fills his face. “Glad you’re back.”

“Where’s dad?” he says, giving Feryn a quizzical look, but they really don’t have time to get into that. Feryn tries to push him down into a chair, being extra careful of the arm hanging limply at Zolf’s side. 

“Zolf, come on, you look like hell, and there’s a huge gash on your head, just sit -“ Feryn cajoles, but Zolf rests his good hand on Feryn’s chest, too weak to push him away but Feryn gets the message anyway.

He’s always been good at reading Zolf like that. 

“I need to talk to him, please,” Zolf says, and Feryn looks him over once more, biting worriedly at his lip until he mutters a low ‘fuck it’ and wraps Zolf’s arm around his shoulders. He steers them to a door down the hallway and gestures, as Zolf pushes it open.

Hirald sits inside, muttering angry words into a phone that he quickly cuts off as Zolf and Feryn enter the room.

“I don’t want to hear it,” he says, and it’s _dangerous_ , low, but Zolf doesn’t care. He stands straighter, and lets his arm fall from around Feryn’s shoulders, taking a shuddering step forward.

He faces down his father on his own, Feryn standing behind him in silent support, ready to catch Zolf if he should fall.

Zolf won’t. He’s done with falling, with letting fate happen to him, and he stares down his father until Hirald’s eyes widen, as though he’s seeing Zolf for the first time.

“Dad,” Zolf says, and there’s no room for argument, no room for discussion. “You _have_ to listen to me.”

—

Thousands, billions of eyes watched the comet arc across the sky, pointing up at it in sheer, unadulterated wonder. It trailed a swirling mix of blue and purple light, leaving sparkles and stardust in its wake. 

It lit up the night sky, traveling slowly across the world, a beautiful and wonderous sight to behold.

And then it split, and one comet became ten, burning balls of light traveling at an incomprehensible speed through the atmosphere. The astronomers watched in shock and excitement as it did the one thing it had been predicted not to do, as slowly pieces of the comet burned up in the atmosphere and floated, dustlike into the wind.

Silence, as everyone watched the comet split. 

Silence, as a piece of it broke through the clouds. 

Silence, as the piece of the comet fell to the Earth. 

It impacted.

The entire ground rose up in an explosion of rock and fire, expanding outward with a concussive force and flattening everything in its path. 

The town was silent, houses crumbling, trees snapped in half, as flames and smoke licked at the sky, rising from the shell of land that the comet had left behind.

—

Hamid opens his eyes with a start, and he’s lying on the ground, a gentle breeze brushing against his cheek.

He… where is he? He sits up and looks around, struggling to get to his feet, using the weird shrine behind him for balance. 

He jumps as his phone beeps in his pocket with a text, and he pulls it out. 

_Saira?_

He pulls up the message, squinting in the early morning sun. His phone barely has any battery left, and he swears as he tries to read the message quickly.

_Me and Aziza are leaving tomorrow afternoon, please get back here or just let me know you’re okay. I hope whatever you had to do works out, but we’re both incredibly worried._

Hamid blinks, slowly, and shoots back a quick text to his sister saying that he’s fine, but that he isn’t sure where he is. He attaches his location, and - he’s somewhere in the southwestern part of England, some small town that he’s never heard of before.

Saira texts back immediately, asking him not to move so that they can pick him up, followed by a warning that Aziza is definitely going to kill him when they do find him. 

Hamid doesn’t know what to say. He doesn’t… he has _faint_ memories of the previous day, traveling around with his sisters, but he doesn’t remember why they’re here, or what possessed him to come all the way out here.

His phone beeps again but he doesn’t look at it. He can see the road from here, Saira and Aziza will be able to spot him anyway, and he should conserve the battery just in case. The ridge is completely unfamiliar to him, he realizes, and as he looks around the sun casts long shadows across the land, dappled light breaking in through the trees all below him and reflecting off of the lake sitting in front of him. He shields his eyes with his hand and squints. 

“Where… am I?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the explosions prob wouldn’t work like this but [alex voice] my world my rules!
> 
> i’m also probably already on a federal watch list so i don’t need to google how bomb work
> 
> (cough as of right now this is the longest continuous in rqg and i’m. gonna cry)


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :)

_Five years later._

Hamid stares down at his wrist as the train picks up speed again. It’s bare, as it always is, always _has_ been, but something about it feels wrong. As though there should be something there. He’s tried wearing watches, wearing bracelets that his sisters have given them, but none of them are right, and he always ends up taking them off by the end of the day. None of them fit, none of them feel like they belong.

It’s all very odd, really.

The train grinds to a halt and Hamid follows the flow of the crowd as he disembarks, checking the clock on his phone as he picks up the pace. His father has already been on his arse for arriving late to work, it won’t do to be late again this morning. 

It doesn’t take long to get to the branch near the station. Hamid spends a decent amount of his week traveling to different banks throughout London, so he’s been able to travel more in the past few years since he graduated than before. 

Still, life in London has gotten a little dull, for Hamid. The bank is fine; as the regional manager of most of the al Tahan banks in London, there’s no shortage of fires for Hamid to put out. Plus, he’s able to see Saleh and his father often, even if it’s just over a video call. Saleh has straightened himself out in the past couple of years, leaving the gambling and the drinking behind him to take over most of the family business from their father, even if their father does still oversee most of the goings-on at the banks.

He enjoys the work; he’d always known he would end up working at the bank, ever since he started university, and he’d never truly had great aspirations for other things. Yes, once upon a time he’d wanted to be a magician, but the look on his father’s face when he told him that has dissuaded him immediately. 

His life has just become… rote. He goes to work, he speaks with his brother, manages the bank, goes home, and maybe spends some time with friends or with a bottle of wine. It’s not bad, it’s just… the same. 

Today, as always, the return trip to his flat is a nightmare, so he spends some time wandering around a nearby park. It’s a sunny day - a rarity for him - so he wants to take advantage of it while he can. 

He’s been walking for maybe twenty minutes when he hears someone call his name from behind him, a lilting voice that he immediately recognizes, and he spins around.

“Liliana!” he exclaims, grin spreading across his face. She smiles back and rushes forward to give him a hug, squeezing him tightly. “It’s so lovely to see you!”

“You as well, Hamid,” she says warmly, stepping back and giving him a look up and down. “You’ve certainly grown up a bit, haven’t you?”

“Me, what about _you?”_ Hamid says, and it’s true. Liliana looks wonderful, hair cropped shorter than he’s ever seen it but just as curly as ever. “I haven’t seen you since the wedding!

Gideon and Liliana had gotten married a year ago, and Hamid had been the best man. It had been a gorgeous wedding, and she had looked absolutely radiant. 

He’s happy for them both; he really is. It’s not their fault that he feels like something is missing, or that he’d wanted to be able to spend their wedding dancing with someone he loved, too.

“Are you rushing somewhere?” she asks, and he shakes his head. “Oh, lovely! I actually have something to tell you, if you have a moment.”

“Of course, Lili, anything,” Hamid says, and she gives him a grateful smile. She leads Hamid over to a nearby bench and sits him down, grabbing his hand and holding it with both of hers.

“Me and Gideon are expecting,” she says, biting her lip as she looks over at Hamid.

“Expecting what?” Hamid says, eyes wide. 

“Hamid.” Liliana rests her head in her hands and her shoulders shake as she chuckles. “What do you think?” she rests her hand over her abdomen and tilts her head at him, single eyebrow raised. Hamid glances down at her hand and claps his own, finally putting two and two together. 

“Oh. Oh! Oh my gosh, congratulations, Lili!” Hamid exclaims. “When did you find out? That’s so exciting! Do you have a name picked yet?”

She laughs and shakes her head. “We only found out a month ago. Names are still a few months away. But…” she smiles, soft, and gives him a conspiratorial wink, “I’ve always liked the name Kalila.”

They sit there for another moment in the silence, trees gently blowing above them in the breeze. 

“Walk with me?” Liliana finally says, and Hamid nods. She stands up and he follows suit, and together they set off down the path in the park. She links her arm with his and he leans into it. 

“Remember that date we went on? It - it must have been about two years ago now,” she says, laughing. “We were in a park just like this one.”

“Oh, dear,” Hamid groans, covering his face with his hands. “I was an absolute disaster, trying to be so suave. God knows how you put up with me.”

Liliana shakes her head. “No, you were… sweet.” 

Hamid thinks she may be coming at this whth a rather rose-covered view; he remembers being distracted for nearly the entire date, flubbing nearly everything he wanted to say. They’d gone to the art museum and he’d spent so long staring at the one collection, even though he doesn’t completely recall why he cared so much about that single photo. Either way, Liliana had left, and Hamid thinks he’d gone straight home, although that bit is a little fuzzy as well. A lot of his memories from two years ago are hazy.

They continue walking along; the leaves on the trees are just starting to turn a burnished gold, and there’s a crisp fall breeze in the air.

“Did you ever find that person you were in love with?” she asks.

“Did I - what?” he says, giving her a confused glance. 

“On our date, you said you were in love with someone. Did you find them?”

He doesn’t know what she means. 

Or, maybe, he does. He thinks about the fact that his chest sometimes feels like half of itself, yearning for someone else, and the weird half-remembered memories of someone else’s life. The fact that he still feels like he’s waiting for someone. For something.

“No, I’m… I’m still searching,” Hamid says, not sure what else he can say, and the wind that blows against his skin smells oddly of the sea for a moment. 

Liliana tucks a wayward lock of hair behind her ear, and leans forward to peck Hamid on the cheek. “You’ll find happiness one day too, Hamid. I know it.”

He leaves Liliana in the park just as the sun is beginning to set, casting a golden light over the streets. 

_Golden hour_ , he thinks, and his eyes go, once again, to the bare spot on his wrist, where something should rest. 

—

A few days after Liliana has broken the news to Hamid, there’s a knock on the door to his penthouse flat and he frowns, glancing at his watch. It was nearly dinnertime - he didn’t think anyone would be coming over so late, but he doesn’t want to be rude. He glances through the peephole on the door and breaks into a grin, throwing the door open. 

“Saira!” Hamid says, giving his sister a hug. “What’s the special occasion?” 

Saira hugs him back, tightly. “Didn’t you see? Aziza has a performance here. I’m going to drag you along.”

“Really?” Hamid isn’t going to complain; he hadn’t been paying enough attention, really, since he normally sees when she has a show coming up. He’s glad Saira is dragging him along - it’s been too long since he’s seen his sisters anyway, and Aziza’s performances are not to be missed, regardless of which opera she’s starring in this time. 

“Let me change, and then we can go. We have time, right?” Hamid asks, and Saira makes a shooing motion at him.

“Of course we do; I did grow up with you, I would never show up without giving you ample time to get ready for a night out,” she rolls her eyes good-naturedly, and then reaches out to shove him in the direction of his room. “But seriously, we should be on our way sooner rather than later, Hamid!”

“Okay, okay,” he calls over his shoulder, and scurries off to his room to change and touch up his makeup, and then they’re on the way to the opera.

Aziza’s show is, as they always are, incredible, and Hamid can’t help but be starstruck by his sister every time she’s on the stage. It’s such a far cry from his sister who, at age 11, convinced Hamid to eat dirt and then blamed Saleh when Hamid started crying, that he can barely believe it’s the same person. She’s amazing, and he reaches over to squeeze Saira’s hand as the show builds to the finale.

He buys her roses, and then he and Saira slip backstage to congratulate her. The usher at the door recognizes them immediately; they’re both pretty distinctive, Hamid being the face of all the Tahan banks in England and Saira being a well-respected and well-known MP. 

They head down the hall, already knowing the way from the other times Aziza has performed here, and Saira puts a finger to her lips as she pushes open the door. 

“Hey, Ziza,” she greets, easily slipping back into their native Arabic, and Aziza grins at her in the mirror. 

“Saira, you made it,” she says happily, brushing through her hair. Saira smiles back at her, wrapping her arms around Aziza from behind as she presses a kiss to the top of her head. 

“I brought a special gift,” Saira says, and Hamid picks up the cue and steps into the room, grinning widely.

“Hamid!” Aziza exclaims, jumping up from her chair to wrap him in a tight hug. He returns it happily, spinning her around as she laughs. 

“Saira, you didn’t tell me Hamid would be coming,” Aziza accuses, but there’s nothing but joy in her voice. “Good surprise, you two.”

Hamid beams. “I’m so glad I could come! You were outstanding, as always.”

Aziza blushes, shoving at his shoulder. “Thank you, Hamid.”

Saira lounges in one of the chairs by the door. “A little pitchy, but I’m sure no one noticed.” She ducks out of the way when Aziza throws a wad of tissues at her, laughing. 

“Don’t be an arse!” Aziza says, but she’s grinning. “And thank you for the flowers, Hamid.”

They chat in Arabic for a while, about Hamid working so closely with Saleh and their father, about Saira’s position and how the lobbyists are doing, what shows Aziza wants to perform next… It’s fun. It reminds Hamid of time spent in the al Tahan estate, when the three of them would build a fort out of whatever they had lying around and camp out under it, sharing secrets and laughing until their parents made them clean it up. 

There’s a soft knock on the door and Aziza straightens up, trilling out a ‘Come in!’ as a weedy-looking stagehand peeks his head outside the door. 

“Are you planning on doin’ stage door tonight, ma’am?” he asks, and Aziza glances over at Hamid and Saira apologetically, opening her mouth, when -

“Oh, don't leave your adoring public waiting on account of us. We’ll have lunch sometime this week, yes?” Saira cuts her off before she can apologize, and Aziza rolls her eyes again. She leans in to give Aziza another hug. Aziza’s hand snakes out from the hug and pulls Hamid in as well, and then all three of them are laughing together as they squeeze each other tightly.

They let go, and Saira and Hamid bid Aziza goodbye as they slip out of the dressing room and head back toward the main lobby. 

Saira checks her watch and swears. “It’s later than I thought. I wanted to go out and get drinks, but maybe we should just walk back. Early morning meeting with some incredibly dull people, so I want to make sure I’m not falling asleep in the meeting more than I already will be.”

Hamid agrees with her; it’s an early morning tomorrow at the bank, so he should be getting to bed soon as well. “We can walk back to my flat, and you can crash there or catch a cab if you need.”

“Thanks, Hamid,” Saira says, and they set off down the street in the pale lamplight. 

They’re walking by a newsstand not far from the flat when Hamid falters, eyes flicking to the articles at the front of the stand. He steps away from Saira’s side and she makes an inquisitive noise, following his gaze. 

All of the news articles are much of the same. 

_FIVE YEARS GONE: ANNIVERSARY OF SAVED TOWN PASSES_

_MAYOR HIRALD SMITH SPEAKS OUT ABOUT MIRACULOUS COINCIDENCE_

_SPEAKING WITH SURVIVORS: REAL-LIFE ACCOUNTS OF THE DAY THE COMET SPLIT_

“Oh, it’s the anniversary of the comet,” Saira says, looking at the newspaper stand. “Remember? Five years ago? It was a miracle. Nearly the entire town was saved.”

Hamid - he does remember, but it feels fuzzy in the way that half-forgotten memories do. “I think so,” he says, picking up the newspaper.

“You were so obsessed with that town for a while,” she laughs. 

She’s right; for some reason, Hamid had been obsessed with knowing everything about Countisbury, finding every single thing about the town that he could. Gideon had teased him for it, but Hamid hadn’t cared. He’d seen the initial news report, the night the comet hit, and had gone out onto the balcony to watch the shining trail of the comet fade away into the night sky. If had been beautiful, from where he was standing. But he’d gone back inside and the camera had shifted, showing the destruction of the town from multiple angles. 

Miraculously, there had been barely any casualties. Most of the town had been sheltered at the school on the outskirts, following a test of their emergency system that had quickly become real after an explosion in the mines. The comet had hit not soon after, once most of the town had already evacuated. Mayor Smith had been suspected of a conspiracy, at first, but the entire town was safe and there was no way *he* could have split the comet, so that line of thinking disappeared to the gossip rags soon enough. 

But on the news footage - the town had looked familiar, almost. Like he’d been there before, even though there was no way he’s been that far southwest. 

After the incident, curious why it felt so familiar, Hamid had watched nearly every news show about the town, read nearly every article. He’d looked in maps, found books, everything. And nothing had made it make more sense.

“Remember, you, me, and Aziza traveled out there once, maybe two years ago? I can’t recall why.”

“We… yes, I remember, I think.” His head feels like it’s spinning; there was something _there_ , something locked away. “I woke up on a hill in the middle of nowhere and called you. I - I can’t remember why I was there.”

Saira shrugs. “We didn’t either. I’m just glad you were alright. You really scared us.

“Sorry,” he says, frowning over at the articles. He had woken up at dawn on a ridge overlooking the town, and he had no idea how he’d gotten there. His chest had felt… strange, somehow, a feeling that he sometimes gets even now, two years later, without knowing why. 

He doesn’t know… what it is. The feeling, the obsession; he hadn’t known anyone in the town, not even anyone originally from there, back then. But it had seemed as though it was all he could think about. All he cared about. _Silly…_ he thinks, but there’s something else there, something deeper, and no matter how he tries to grab it, it just slips out of his grasp like oil.

“Hamid? Are you alright?” Saira asks, giving him a concerned look as she rests a hand on his shoulder. 

He blinks rapidly and takes a step back, feeling like he’s been pulled out of water. Immediately, the sounds of the street reassert themselves, and he shakes his head to clear it. “Ah - sorry, what? I must have gotten a little lost in thought.”

Saira doesn’t seem convinced by the weak smile he gives her, but at least she doesn’t press the issue as they continue to walk. 

—

Time moves forward. The leaves fall. Sunset comes earlier. The air becomes cold, frosty, even though no snow has started to fall. 

Hamid continues working, tries to spend some more time with Liliana and Gideon, travels home to see his family, and before he knows it, it’s December and he’s sitting alone in a café, laptop on the table in front of him, as he works through some last-minute end-of-year tasks from Saleh. It’s nothing too difficult, mainly filling out some spreadsheets and cross-referencing some of the banks financials; tedious work, really, so it’s no fault of his when his mind begins drifting.

The café is pretty deserted, this late. The sun had set a few hours ago, but there were still some students revising at the tables, a few other people sitting around and chatting with friends. 

It’s a lovely night, if cold. The sky is clear, and there are a number of stars visible from where Hamid sits, although a few clouds seem to be rolling in. 

“Brock, we’ve gotta head back for the wedding. I’m one of the bridesmaids, god knows why, but Azu doesn’t want to cut it close.”

“Yeah, I know Sasha, we’ll leave tomorrow morning. It’s only a four-hour drive, and you know I hate driving in the dark.”

Hamid’s ears perk up at that. The names, the _voice,_ had sounded familiar, but at a glance he doesn’t recognize anyone else in the coffee shop. There might be a flicker when he sees a woman with short dark hair and a scar running along her neck sitting next to a man with closely-cropped hair and bright green eyes, but it just - can’t be anything. 

Still, he feels… something. A tug in his chest, maybe. 

He leaves the café after that, bringing his hot chocolate with him, hands wrapped around the warm cup in the cold winter air. It’s a short walk back to his flat, thankfully; he’d brought his favorite scarf with him to keep warm, and he wraps it tightly around his face, nearly obscuring his vision.

There’s another person on the bridge with him, Hamid realizes, walking in the opposite direction. His face is mostly obscured by a large scarf and hat, and he’s looking down at the ground as he walks toward Hamid.

The man passes him and he almost freezes, feeling a strange sense of familiarity, just like he had in the coffeeshop. Hamid listens as the other man keeps walking, freshly-fallen snow melting under his feet as he walks past Hamid and off into the distance. For a moment, Hamid pauses, and turns back. The other man is still walking away, shoulders hunched up under his coat, and Hamid pulls his own coat tightly around himself as he turns back and heads home.

—

Zolf made it to London. After the comet had destroyed the entire town, he and Feryn had tried to salvage what they could from the wreckage of their home. They’d lived on the outskirts of town, so they had had more recoverable items than most, the building catching the shock waves of the impact more so than the initial fire and destruction. Still, it had been a nightmare trying to find anything that they could even take. Everything was covered in soot or dirt, and half of the house had collapsed in on itself. Zolf had been able to recover a few photos, protected from the blast, and Feryn had grabbed a few old antiques that somehow hadn’t been immediately turned to dust. But the material things hadn’t mattered as much, in the end.

They were all lucky to be alive, after all. Zolf doesn’t really remember what had happened; he remembers the fear, and the panic, and the heat. What he doesn’t remember is how he’d gotten to the schoolyard in the first place, or how he’d broken his arm. He has vague memories of his father calling in an emergency evacuation order, and Feryn supporting him as they staggered through the lawn, but barely anything outside of that. 

He remembers finding Brock and Sasha, cradling them both close to his chest as Feryn wrapped his arms around all three of them. They had sunk down to the ground together, shaking, as the meteor had destroyed their town.

Rebuilding hadn’t been an option. The town was too destroyed, too absolutely devastated for anything to come of it. Emergency services had come through for the town, setting up enough disaster relief funds to give everyone in the town a chance to make a new life somewhere else. The community had come through in a huge way as well, helping each other become stronger through the tragedy. 

Zolf and Feryn had come to London, trading a life in the country for a life in the city. Feryn got an apprenticeship, Zolf went to university, and they made it work. 

It’s been five years since Countisbury was destroyed, since their home was decimated by a splitting comet, and Zolf… he’s coping. 

The thing is: he’s happy, truly. Sasha and Brock are always around, he has a good job, Feryn’s happy… he could barely ask for more.

But something still… feels like it’s missing. He still feels like he’s searching for something. Someone, maybe.

Zolf’s on his way back from a late shift, trying to decide whether or not to stop into a nearby coffeeshop for a hot chocolate, when he sees the man for the first time.

He’s walking along the bridge closest to his flat, when he spots a shorter man walking in his direction, holding a cup of something between his hands. The snow is starting to fall, finally, and Zolf pulls down his hat, shoves his own hands in his pocket, and buries his face deeper into the scarf Feryn had bought him for Christmas last year to try and stave off the chill. The man is similarly wrapped in a heavy scarf, face nearly covered to block the cold breeze.

As he passes by the man, he feels a slight twinge in his chest, almost like it’s pulling him toward him, and Zolf stumbles. The man keeps walking past him, not even hesitating, and Zolf shakes his head, confused, and heads off.

He stops for a moment, at the edge of the bridge. and turns to look around. The man is still walking away, nearly disappearing into the darkness, and Zolf frowns. _Strange_.

The interaction doesn’t completely leave his mind as he walks, but it becomes much easier to reckon with. After all, it has to be his imagination, right? He’s never seen the man before, never met him, so why would he seem slightly familiar? London can be a small city, sometimes, he might have run into him in one of the shops, and latched on for some reason. Nothing weird about it, just a mix of Zolf being tired and the mystical, magical sensation that the first snowfall always brings.

Zolf’s convinced himself of this by the time he makes it back to his flat, nearly collapsing on the bed after peeling off his many layers of clothing. It’s been a long week at his job, working double shifts down at Evelina. It’s hard but rewarding work; Zolf had been lucky enough to have gotten good enough GSCE and other scores to qualify for the BSc children’s nursing program at King’s College London, and he’s sure that the whole ‘my entire town was destroyed’ admissions essay didn’t hurt his chances. He was nearly three years into the program, having saved up some money after immediately moving to London, and he can’t picture doing anything else. He definitely doesn’t miss the mining.

There’s no other sounds from the flat, so he figures that Feryn must be out again, working late down by the blacksmiths where he’s been apprenticing for the past few years. All in all, they’re doing well. The money from both of their jobs is nice, and they’ve really settled into London. 

Life goes on. Zolf continues through the nursing program, and the spirit and enthusiasm that all the kids have even in the face of illness helps bring a smile to his face. Of course, it’s not all easy - sometimes they lose patients, but Zolf can’t let it get him too down. And whenever it does, Feryn, Sasha, Brock, and even Azu are there, helping him cope. 

One morning in late spring, as all the flower petals are beginning to bloom, Zolf gets up earlier than usual - he has a meeting with the rest of his team before the normal workday starts, and he’ll have to get on the tube soon if he wants to make it in time. It’s a quick journey around his flat to get ready, grab some breakfast, and head out the door. He can buy some pastries on the way in, maybe bring enough for everyone else. He knows Grizzop and Azu will appreciate it, at least, and Wilde will have some even if he pretends not to care. Sasha might stop in too, she always seems to have a sixth sense for when he brings in snacks. It also gives her an excuse to see Azu, even though she doesn’t need one anymore. They’d finally gotten together a few months ago, right before Eldarion and Marie’s wedding. 

He’s happy for them; they’re perfect together, and it gives him more opportunities to see both Sasha and Azu, which is only a good thing.

There’s always a good selection of pastries down by the local place, so Zolf stops in with a wave at the owner. She’s a sweet older woman who always sneaks him something special; apparently it’s because Zolf is just a loyal customer, but Zolf thinks it’s because he reminds her of her grandson, who doesn’t come around nearly enough. Regardless, he leaves a generous tip and a wink, as she waves him away good-naturedly. 

The crowd going down into the tube is just as thick as ever, and Zolf finds himself simply being carried along with them, struggling to get his oyster card out of his pocket to get in as he balances the pastries in one hand. He breaks through the throng and heads down the hallway. Miracle of miracles, there’s a spare seat, and Zolf sinks into it, cradling the pastries protectively against his chest. All around him, passengers hurry across the station, some half-jogging to grab the right train before it leaves. Zolf taps his foot against the ground; his own in coming in five minutes, and he agitatedly checks his watch only to realize how late he’s going to be, swearing under his breath. The small dolphin pendant on the bracelet under it glints in the dim tube lighting, and Zolf stares down at it for a moment.

He’s never wanted to take it off, and he can’t remember a time outside of showering that he hasn’t had the bracelet on. It feels like a good luck charm to him, for some reason, as ridiculous as that is. 

Feryn wouldn’t agree, he thinks, laughing a little to himself. His brother had always believed in things like that, luck and fate and the like. Zolf was more of a realist, but he always let Feryn have his fun.

Although sometimes… there are moments. Moments where his hold on reality slips, for a moment. When it feels like he’s looking out through someone else’s eyes, at someone else’s life. They’re always dreams, and Zolf only barely remembers them when he wakes up, but there’s something more real about them than any other dreams he ever has.

Those are the mornings when he wakes up with tears in his eyes, for no reason other than the gaping hole he feels in his chest, without any source. The feeling always fades after a few minutes, when the small wisps of the dream he remembers slip away as well, and he’s left staring confusedly at himself in the mirror, wiping a stray tear off of his face.

There’s also how the first time he’d ever shown up in London, Feryn standing by his side, he could have sworn that he’d been there before. And he doesn’t count going there as a child; he barely remembers anything from that trip, but standing on the bridge outside his and Feryn’s new apartment, looking at the city, feels familiar. Comforting, almost.

For the most part, Zolf ignores all of this. Weird coincidences, nothing more, even if Feryn would definitely make them out to be _something_. It doesn’t matter, anyway. He doesn’t have time to think about it, not with the hospital opening a new wing.

He stirs as he watches someone get onto the train, looking vaguely familiar, and Zolf stands up, setting the pastries down on the seat behind him as he cranes his neck to get a good look over the rest of the crowd. 

The tug in his chest is immediate, pulling him forward as the stranger looks up as well, locking eyes with him, mouth dropping open in a silent gasp through the window, and then the train is pulling away, speeding down the tunnel while Zolf watches on, helpless. 

He doesn’t know _why_ he has to follow the man, or why he cares this much, but it’s like there’s no other option.

He paces in the tube station as he waits for another train to come, one going in the same direction, and he hops on, drumming his fingers against his hip with a white-knuckled grip on the pole. 

Zolf has no idea how they’ll be able to find each other, if the other man even felt the same tug as he had, or if it was all just a huge coincidence. But he knows he has to try. 

He feels that familiar tug in his chest as the train pulls to a stop, and he pushes through the crowd of people until he’s standing on the platform, looking wildly left and right. People shoot him dirty looks as he runs through the crowd, apologizing as he accidentally knocks his shoulders into them. He doesn’t have time to be properly sorry, though, and as he exits the station he glances around, nearly frantic. 

He follows the string in his heart, not stopping to wonder _why_ he feels it in the first place, everything else pushed to the back of his mind. It’s telling him to run, telling him to be quicker, and Zolf should care about work, should care about the pastries he left back at the tube station, but those feel so… inconsequential now, in this moment. So he listens, for once in his life; he hopes.

London is a beautiful city, but it’s crowded. He thinks he sees a familiar dark head of hair disappear around a corner and chases after him, getting caught up in the flow of people and losing sight of him. He thinks he sees the same person scurrying down another road, looking left and right as though he’s looking for Zolf too. He cups his hands around his mouth to call out, but falters when he realizes he doesn’t know this man’s name. Doesn’t know anything about him at all, really, but there’s something pulling him along, tugging insistently at him.

He decides to believe in the magic. Feryn would be proud.

It feels like they’re circling each other, just missing each other as one steps into an alleyway and the other steps out. The small tug in Zolf’s chest is ping-ponging him back and forth, back and forth, and he continues moving. 

Nothing, nothing, nothing. Zolf can’t help but feel a little hopeless, now, and the string that pulls at his chest feels weaker now, lighter. It’s still there, just… faint. He swears under his breath and keeps running, as fast as he’s able, refusing to give up. Another alleyway down, another block covered, another square tried, and nothing, but he doesn’t stop, doesn’t let go of whatever this is he’s been looking for.

Until. 

Zolf stutters to a stop, glancing down a steep side street, heart pounding in his chest as the string there thrums. There, standing at the top of the stairs, is the man from the train, much too far away for Zolf to make out the look on his face. He takes a hesitant step forward, picking up his pace until he’s reached the bottom of the stairs. The man’s face is carefully blank as he walks down the stairs, and Zolf looks down as he walks up.

They walk past each other and Zolf feels that insistent tug in his chest again, but he keeps moving, listening as the other man does the same, feet padding along as he makes his way down the stairs. Zolf shoves his hands into his pockets, biting his lip as he continues.

He rocks on the balls of his feet at the top of the stairs, arguing with himself over whether he should walk away or say something. 

Walk away or speak. 

Walk away or speak.

_Walk away or -_

Zolf turns back at the same moment as the stranger says, “Pardon me, but do I know you?”

And… he knows he’s never seen this person before, but there’s something in his chest that is begging him to get closer, begging him to reach out and touch.

“I - I think I know you too,” Zolf says, and he can feel the tears slipping down his cheeks; the stranger is crying too, but the smile that pulls across his face is so relieved that Zolf can’t help but echo it.

He takes a step forward, and so does the other man, who’s so achingly familiar that he just wants to run forward and crush him against his chest. But he refrains, instead walking slowly up the steps as they get closer, closer, until they’re face to face on opposite sides of the railing.

Both of their mouths open at the same time to speak.

“Can I ask -“

“May I have -“

“ _Your name?_ ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [ANIME MUSICAL STING]
> 
> to clarify - 5 years later is post town being destroyed 
> 
> aaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!! it’s almost over!!! just one short chapter left to bookend the entire thing!!!! Y’ALL THIS IS THE LONGEST THING IVE WRITTEN IN SO MANY YEARS SHOUT OUT TO THE COWARDS DISCORD FOR THE MOTIVATION


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SHES DONE :D
> 
> this is just a short chap to tie it all off, just like the first chapter. i like bookends
> 
> EDIT: LOOK AT THAT FUCKING WORDCOUNT IM A WIZARD

_ Sometimes, when he wakes up, he finds himself crying for no reason. But that’s okay, now. All he has to do is turn over in bed, wrap his arm around a waist, press a kiss to the back of a neck, and he remembers that it will all be alright.  _

_ He remembers everything. _

_ There’s a bracelet around his wrist, a red ribbon wrapped multiple times over with a small silver dolphin pendant that glints in the sun. A gift, from the man he loves, and he never takes it off, not anymore. It belongs there, on his wrist, a lucky charm.  _

—

Fate can be a fickle thing, sometimes. Lives, memories, hearts intertwined with each other… was it two random strangers, one chosen to help save the other, to save an entire  _ town _ , or was it decided from the beginning of time, that these two would be wound so tightly together that not even time, nor even death, could keep them separate? 

And how do you know which one saved the other, anyway? Maybe they both did, in their own ways. 

Memories might fade, but do feelings? You look at someone, and they’re familiar to you. A tug in your chest, even if you don’t recognize the source.

Two souls find each other, and pull together and refuse to let go, and they keep holding on even when there’s no hope left, and they  _ don’t let go _ . 

Two hearts twine tightly around each other, beating in the same exact pulse. 

Two strands of fate tangle together until you can’t separate one from the other.

Two people hold fast, stretching across time and memories until they find the other again, and collapse into each other’s arms with tears falling down their faces.

Dreams aren’t only just dreams, after all. They can be memories too. A life half-lived. A life that was never yours, a life that you strain with all you have to remember, because remembering means the difference between life and death. 

And you do. You remember. You win.

But dreams and memories fade, just like everything else in the world. You forget, sometimes, but that feeling never goes away. The feeling that something, some _ one _ was yours. 

Some people let it go, believing it to be nothing more than dreams.

Others… seek it out. 

Remember, it’s only sad if you don’t  _ try.  _ If you don’t strain, with every part of your being, to  _ make your happy ending happen.  _ Until you don’t have to search anymore. Because you found it. 

You make your own happy ending happen.

They made their own happy ending happen.

...

So. What kind of story was it?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaa thank you to everyone in the cowards discord who listened to me talk about this fic constantly!!! y’all are the best and i love you so much omg 
> 
> also special thanks to rowan for giving this entire mess a quick read over for me to make sure it made some semblance of sense in the early stages!! and giving me the NICEST COMMENTS rowan i would die for you just say the word
> 
> i really hope y’all enjoyed this!!! i had a lot of fun writing it and i might write more in this verse, but i do like kind of leaving it open (don’t worry, zolf and hamid absolutely get together and remember their time together eventually it’s lovely and sweet)
> 
> any comments are super appreciated, or even just a kudos! love y’all

**Author's Note:**

> kudos and comments mean the world to me and i would also literally die for anyone that comments on my fics aha


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